Solar TAP Industry Day

Clean Tech Innovation Day & Solar TAP Industry Day 2025

23. October 2025/in Event review/by Stefanie Ditze

Clean Tech Innovation Day & Solar TAP Industry Day 2025: Accelerating Innovation through Collaboration

On October 15, 2025, more than 70 participants from research, industry, and start-ups gathered at the Heidelberg Congress Center for the Clean Tech Innovation Day & Solar TAP Industry Day. The event highlighted the importance of collaboration to accelerate the transition toward sustainable energy.

Participants from research, industry, and start-ups at the Heidelberg Congress Center.
Image: Lukas Adler.

Driving a Sustainable Future through Shared Vision

In his keynote address, Dr. Gunter Erfurt, former CEO of Meyer Burger and a recognized voice for renewable energy, called for decisive action and stronger implementation of Europe’s energy transition. While emphasizing the strength of European research institutions, he urged the audience to move beyond discussions and focus on rapid execution and innovation.

Dr. Gunter Erfurt during his keynote on Europe’s energy transition.
Image: Lukas Adler.

The day’s sessions reflected this spirit of progress: from innovative materials for organic and perovskite photovoltaics to cutting-edge hydrogen technologies and building-integrated solar applications, experts showcased how science and industry can jointly accelerate the development of climate-friendly solutions.

A Close Partnership for Impact

Dr. Jens Hauch, Manager of Solar TAP, highlighted the importance of collaboration:

Dr. Jens Hauch (Solar TAP). Image: Lukas Adler.

“Today’s event impressively demonstrated how essential the close alignment between research and industry is. Only through this partnership can we bring innovative photovoltaic solutions quickly from the lab to market-ready applications.”

Fostering Exchange and New Ideas

The agenda featured three thematic sessions — Innovative Materials, Innovative Processes & Equipment, and Innovative Applications — with speakers from leading institutions including Fraunhofer ISI, BASF, Bosch, Sciprios, SALD BV, Epishine, ASCA, and many more.

Between the sessions, networking breaks and interactive discussions encouraged dialogue and the formation of new collaborations.

Experts exchange ideas during the networking session.
Image: Lukas Adler.

Co-organized by InnovationLab GmbH

The event was co-organized by InnovationLab GmbH and Solar TAP, continuing their joint mission to strengthen the transfer of groundbreaking clean tech research into industrial applications. Dr. Michael Kröger, Managing Director of InnovationLab, noted:

Dr. Michael Kröger (InnovationLab).
Image: Lukas Adler.

“We must work on new and advanced solutions with courage and clarity. That’s what InnovationLab — and our collaboration with Solar TAP — stands for.”

A Catalyst for Clean Technology and Energy Transition

With its interdisciplinary focus and commitment to practical implementation, the Clean Tech Innovation Day & Solar TAP Industry Day 2025 underscored the power of collaborative innovation in shaping a sustainable and competitive energy future.

Joint Solar TAP/Hi-Acts Workshop

2. June 2025/in News, Event review/by Irina Döhrer

Accelerator Meets Application: Solar TAP and Hi-Acts Host First Joint Industry Workshop at HZB

On May 22, 2025, Solar TAP and Hi-Acts — two Helmholtz Innovation Platforms — co-hosted their first-ever Joint Industry Workshop at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (BESSY II). Held directly after the Solar TAP Industry Day, the event brought together industry professionals, researchers, and innovation leaders to explore the transformative potential of accelerator-based analytics for advanced functional materials.

Under the theme “Accelerator-based Analytics meets Advanced Functional Materials”, the workshop showcased how particle accelerator technologies can drive real-world innovation in sectors such as photovoltaics, energy storage, electronics, and beyond.

Joint Solar TAP/Hi-Acts Workshop @copyright by Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH

The program offered a rich mix of perspectives and interactive formats. Participants enjoyed insightful presentations by experts from HZB, DESY, LayTec AG, the University of Potsdam, and FOM Technologies, who showcased real-world applications and technological innovations.

Solar TAP Manager together with industry partners from FOM Technologies. @copyright by Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH

In parallel, dynamic discussion tables invited in-depth exchange on topics such as advanced material analysis, nanostructure engineering, in-situ diagnostics, and device characterization. A highlight of the day was the exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the BESSY II synchrotron, giving participants rare access to one of the world’s most advanced accelerator facilities.

Exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the BESSY II synchrotron @copyright by Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH

For Solar TAP, this collaborative format provided a high-impact opportunity to align industry needs with research capabilities — particularly in thin-film processing, scalable device fabrication, and diagnostics for printed and hybrid photovoltaics.

By uniting the strengths of Solar TAP and Hi-Acts, this milestone event demonstrated how cross-platform synergy can accelerate the development of competitive, next-generation materials — from the atomic scale to industrial application.

5th Solar TAP Industry Day

2. June 2025/in News, Event review/by Irina Döhrer

5th Solar TAP Industry Day Unites Research and Industry in Berlin

On May 21, the 5th Solar TAP Industry Day brought together leading minds from industry, academia, and innovation at the Center for the Science of Materials Berlin (CSMB) – a central institute of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin — to shape the future of printed and hybrid PV technologies in Europe. The full-day event, organized in collaboration with Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), focused on how emerging PV technologies and flexible manufacturing approaches can meet growing industrial demand and contribute to a resilient European energy transition.

From Research Results to Real-World Implementation

The day started with a platform update by Dr. Jens Hauch (Solar TAP Manager) and steering committee member Prof. Eva Unger who provided insights into current transfer projects and the platform’s expanding industry network.

Eva Unger (Solar TAP Steering Committee) and Jens Hauch (Solar TAP Manager) welcomed partners from industry and academia @copyright by Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH

In his keynote, Prof. Rutger Schlatmann (HZB) addressed the strategic reshoring of the PV value chain in Europe. He called for close coordination between politics, research, and industry to strengthen Europe’s technological and economic resilience.

Prof. Rutger Schlatmann (HZB) addresses the strategic reshoring of the PV value chain in Europe @copyright by Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH

The agenda featured a wide range of success stories and technological spotlights — from green solvent-based processing to next-generation tandem devices (CIGS/Perovskite and Si/Perovskite). Several project teams presented their approaches to scalable module design and shared learnings from lab-to-fab transitions.

Roadmap Dialogue, Funding Insights, and Lab Access

During the event, Solar TAP presented the first consolidated version of its Strategic R&D Roadmap, developed through co-creation workshops with industry and research partners. It defines milestone-based goals for key applications such as Agri-PV, BIPV, Mobility-PV, and IoT-PV, along with prioritized R&D actions for 2027, 2030, and 2035. The roadmap provides a shared foundation to guide future collaborations, funding activities, and technology transfer across the Solar TAP community.

Strategic R&D Roadmap @copyright by Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH

In the subsequent Funding Dialogue, Robert Reim (HZB) gave an overview of current support schemes for PV innovation, ranging from national ZIM programs to European cooperation opportunities. These sessions were deepened in World Café discussions, where participants shared experiences and explored collaborations on roadmap implementation and cross-sector use cases.

Jens Hauch (Solar TAP, left) interviews Robert Reim (HZB, right) about current support schemes for PV innovation @copyright Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH

Guided tours through HZB’s HySprint lab, PVComB, KOALA station, and IRIS Adlershof offered first-hand impressions of advanced Solar TAP infrastructure.

Demonstration of flexible OPV at the Solar TAP booth @copyright Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH

Networking and Cross-Platform Collaboration

The event concluded with a networking dinner in Berlin-Adlershof, followed the next day by a Joint Workshop with the Hi-Acts Innovation Platform at Bessy, strengthening the cross-platform dialogue on accelerator-based analytics and functional materials.

Through initiatives like the Solar TAP Industry Day, the network continues to enable strategic dialogue and innovation transfer, providing a platform where industry and research meet to tackle real-world challenges in solar energy and printed electronics.

Copyright: Ralf-Uwe Limbach / Karen Forberich / Stefanie Ditze

Photovoltaics meets agriculture

15. April 2024/in News, Event review/by j.hauch

Agri-PV systems in the focus of the 3rd Solar TAP Industry

Düren/Jülich, 10 – 11 April 2024 – Within the Solar TAP innovation platform (short for “Solar Technology Acceleration Platform for emerging Photovoltaics”), industry and science work hand in hand to rapidly develop new photovoltaic technologies to market maturity. The platform’s third industry day focussed on the integration of photovoltaics in agriculture, also known as Agri-PV. This ground-breaking technology promises to revolutionise the efficiency of agriculture and at the same time pave the way for sustainable energy.

Agri-PV: How the production of solar power and plants can succeed side by side

Lightweight, flexible and customisable: Printed innovative photovoltaic technologies (so-called “emerging photovoltaics”) offer more than just the generation of sustainable energy. One example of an application with multiple benefits is agri-photovoltaics (agri-PV for short), which offers enormous potential for Germany’s energy transition. Prof. Ulrich Schurr, Director of the Institute of Plant Sciences at the Jülich Research Centre (IBG-2), highlighted the global status in his keynote speech and thus set the focus of the “3rd Solar TAP Industry Day”. Dr Matthias Meier-Grüll (IBG-2) added an overview of the Agri-PV demonstration projects at Forschungszentrum Jülich.

Read the complete article here (German)

2. Solar TAP Industry Day

10. November 2023/in News, Event review/by j.hauch

The 2nd Solar TAP Industry Day in Berlin on November 10, 2023, gathered over 65 industry experts and researchers to discuss the advancement of multi-benefit photovoltaic technologies.

The event focused on the collaborative efforts between industry and science to accelerate the market readiness of innovative, lightweight, and flexible photovoltaics.

Participants engaged in a structured roadmapping process to refine application profiles for key sectors such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), agriculture, and transportation. Laboratory tours at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin provided insights into cutting-edge research infrastructure supporting these developments.

The event underscored the significant potential of multi-benefit PV in expanding renewable energy applications.

Event Details:

Date: 10.11.2023
Time: 08:30 am – 05:00 pm
Location: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin / BESSY II Lecture Hall, Albert-Einstein-Straße 15, D-12489 Berlin

Agenda:
Download

HI ERN/Kurt Fuchs

1. Solar TAP Industry Day

21. July 2023/in Event review, Helmholtz, News/by j.hauch

The Solar TAP project, funded by the Helmholtz Association, aims to accelerate “Multi-Benefit” photovoltaic technology through collaboration between top research centers.

Join us to learn more about Solar TAP, connect with industry leaders, and participate in the kickoff workshop for roadmap development.

On July 21, 2023, the first “Solar TAP Industry Day” took place in Nuremberg, attended by over 60 professionals from industry and academia who gathered to learn about and network around new photovoltaic technologies.

The event served to introduce the Solar TAP innovation platform, aimed at accelerating the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the industry, focusing on “multi-benefit” photovoltaics and associated technologies. Participants, including 18 companies, took the opportunity to introduce themselves through short presentations and engage in in-depth discussions.

Two keynote presentations highlighted the crucial connection between research and industry, addressing the challenges and opportunities for new PV solutions. A subsequent workshop was held to develop a joint roadmap, setting the framework for future collaborations.

The day concluded with a tour of HI ERN’s “Solar Factory of the Future,” where printable organic solar cells are being developed.

Event Details:

Date: 21.07.2023
Time: 09:00 am – 02:15 pm
Location: EnCN, Nürnberg

Agenda:
Download

Tag Archive for: Solar TAP Industry Day

Agri-PV systems in the focus of the 3rd Solar TAP Industry

Agri-PV: How the production of solar power and plants can succeed side by side