Tag Archive for: Technology transfer

Kretschmann visits KIT Solar TAP exhibit at HMI

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KIT welcomes Minister President Kretschmann to its Solar TAP exhibit at Hannover Messe.

At the world´s leading trade fair Hannover Messe 2025, Minister President Kretschmann of Baden-Württemberg visited the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) booth to discuss the benefits of sustainable photovoltaic (PV) technologies with the Solar TAP Principal Investigator and head of the Organic Photovoltaics Group at KIT, Prof. Alexander Colsmann.

From March 31 to April 4, KIT shows selected highlights from technology development in the Future Hub and at Energy Solutions: Energy and Commitment for the Future© copyright by Karlsruher Institut für Technologie

Prof. Colsmanns group exhibited a demonstrator of a greenhouse with integrated semitransparent OPV-modules, showcasing the promising application of such emerging-PV technologies in agrivoltaics.

KIT is one of three research institutions involved in the development of the Solar TAP innovation platform, collaborating with industry partners to create new technologies for multi-benefit PV applications. Solar TAP serves as an open innovation hub aiming to bridge the gap between research and industrial application.

By integrating scientific expertise with the practical needs of industry, Solar TAP drives the rapid commercialization of advanced PV solutions that offer ecological, economic, and societal benefits. It focuses particularly on developing PV systems that contribute not only to clean energy generation but also to additional functionalities, such as improving urban infrastructure or agricultural productivity.

Meet us at Booth: FOE.17.

Solar TAP Shines at LOPEC 2025: A Resounding Success

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Solar TAP’s participation at LOPEC 2025 was a resounding success, drawing a significant number of visitors to our booth in the ICM Foyer.

At LOPEC 2025, Solar TAP demonstrated its leadership in the evolving landscape of photovoltaics, aligning perfectly with the conference’s focus on the latest trends and innovations in the printed electronics sector. Our participation was marked by significant achievements and substantial visitor engagement at our booth in the ICM Foyer.

Our dedicated team—Hauch Jens, Alexander Colsmann, Michael Wagner, Stefanie Ditze, and Wolfgang Mildner—were on hand at Booth FO.17, unveiling Solar TAP’s latest advancements. These innovations underscore our commitment to sustainable technology, which resonates with LOPEC’s emphasis on environmental sustainability and advanced electronic solutions.

A key event at our booth was the Solar TAP: Roadmap Validation Workshop for Industry and Science, held on February 27th from 16:00 to 18:00 in Room 4. This workshop brought together experts from science and industry to collaboratively shape the Solar TAP roadmap. The focus was on harmonizing and accelerating R&D actions across unique applications in agriculture, construction, IoT, and transportation. Participants worked to validate R&D priorities and define project opportunities for emerging photovoltaic applications, fostering collaboration and innovation.

The workshop was an essential platform for building connections and validating the strategic direction of our initiatives, in line with industry needs and advancements. Participants were encouraged to bring forward their ideas and needs, helping to propel emerging PV technologies towards significant breakthroughs.

We are grateful for the lively interactions and the enthusiastic response from all the attendees. The connections made at LOPEC 2025 are invaluable, and they pave the way for future collaborations and breakthroughs in the solar technology space.

Thank you to everyone who visited our booth and participated in our events. Your engagement and feedback are what drive us forward. Together, we are steering towards a more sustainable and innovative future, inspired by the pioneering spirit of LOPEC 2025.

HZB Sets New World Record in CIGS Solar Cell Efficiency

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Combining two semiconductor thin films into a tandem solar cell can achieve high efficiencies with a minimal environmental footprint. Teams from HZB and Humboldt University Berlin have now presented a CIGS-perovskite tandem cell that sets a new world record with an efficiency of 24.6%, certified by the independent Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), in collaboration with Humboldt University Berlin, has achieved a new world record for the efficiency of CIGS-perovskite tandem solar cells. The record-breaking efficiency of 24.6% has been certified by the independent Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. This innovative tandem cell combines a CIGS bottom cell with a perovskite top cell, leveraging advancements in contact layers between the cells. This breakthrough is a significant milestone in solar technology, promising highly efficient solar cells with a reduced environmental impact.

For more details, read the full press release here.

Panel Presentation at the Symposium

2nd Helmholtz Innovation Platform Status Symposium

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On November 21, 2024, the Solar TAP team had the opportunity to participate in the 2nd Helmholtz Innovation Platform Status Symposium, which took place at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel. This was an important event that brought together the three innovation platforms: Hi-Acts, SOOP and Solar TAP. These platforms, founded in 2023, aim to promote innovation and facilitate knowledge transfer within the Helmholtz Association, one of Europe’s largest scientific organizations.

Dr. Jens Hauch showcases an innovative solar solution to a visitor during the exhibition session of the symposium.
Dr. Stefanie Ditze highlights flexible OPV modules designed for innovative applications in photovoltaics.
A visitor examines a curved photovoltaic material at the SolarTAP exhibition booth.
Symposium participants discuss SolarTAP’s initiatives and technologies with team members.
SolarTAP presents insights into the use of solar energy for agriculture, focusing on innovations like OPV foil tunnels.
Prof. Dr. Christoph Brabec elaborates on the transfer of solar technology from Helmholtz research to industrial applications.
SolarTAP Presentation on Emerging Technologies
SolarTAP’s exhibition booth showcasing a variety of photovoltaic materials and information panels.
A presenter introduces SolarTAP’s solar technology acceleration platform at the symposium.
Group photo of SolarTAP team and partners at their exhibition booth during the Helmholtz Innovation Platforms Status Symposium.

The symposium featured a packed agenda with presentations from each platform highlighting the significant progress made over the past year. For Solar TAP, this was an excellent platform to showcase our latest research developments and strategic initiatives to advance the solar energy sector. The presentation was enriched by our industry partners who provided insights into best practices and innovative approaches to technology transfer.

In addition to the presentations, the symposium also offered interesting exhibitions where participants could learn about the work of the three platforms and exchange ideas.

Looking forward, 2025 will be an important year for Solar TAP as we evaluate our platform and prepare for future expansion and impact in the field of solar innovation.

Getting PV from lab to fab

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German research group Helmholtz Association hopes to speed up the adoption of flexible printed solar PV technologies by transferring advances in the lab to industry through its growing Solar TAP initiative.

German research group Helmholtz Association has a new platform to transfer flexible printed solar PV technologies from the lab to industry.

Known as Solar Technology Acceleration Platform (Solar TAP) for emerging Photovoltaics, it aims to bring lighter-weight solar PV solutions in a wider range of colors, with a greater range of transparency, not to mention greater bandgap tunability, than what is available in the market today.

A roadmap for the emerging PV applications is being developed by the Solar TAP participants, according to Jens Hauch, Solar TAP manager.

Read the complete article here

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

Photovoltaics meets agriculture

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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 at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023

2. Solar TAP Industry Day

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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.

2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023
2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023
2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023
2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023
2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023
2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023

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

1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023HI ERN/Kurt Fuchs

1. Solar TAP Industry Day

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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.

1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023
1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023
1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023
1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023

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

The integration of novel PV-technologies will focus on various application cases with high potential. Agri-Horti-PV application development will build on the Agri-Horti-PV test site (Agri-Food-Energy Park -- Agri FEe) established by FZJ: Plant Sciences at Alt-Morschenich in the context of BioökonomieREVIER (a large-scale regional transformation of the lignite-mining region Rheinisches Revier into a model region for sustainable bioeconomy ).Christina Kuchendorf

Fast and flexible solar energy from the printer

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Lighter, more flexible and adaptable – the innovation platform Solar TAP develops innovative solutions for photovoltaic applications. The aim is to make surfaces already used in agriculture, the building sector and transport additionally usable for the expansion of solar energy with printed solar cells.

Renewable energies are essential for the success of the energy transition and the desired independence from the import of fossil fuels. Their expansion must therefore be driven forward swiftly and massively. Photovoltaics (PV) – energy from the sun – is an important pillar in this respect. Of all renewable energies, PV has the lowest environmental footprint, i.e. it generates significantly more energy than is needed for its production.

Even though we need to add around 330 Gigawatt in Germany by 2040, this expansion does not automatically mean building new large-scale solar parks: thanks to flexible and efficient PV systems that utilize surfaces in agriculture or in the building sector to generate additional electricity from the sun. The potential for this is great: agricultural land in Germany offers the technical possibility to contribute up to 3 Terawatt (short for terawatt peak) to electricity generation. Solar cells integrated into existing facades could generate up to 1 Terawatt of solar power – for example, to supply electric cars with decentralized and mobile electricity in the future. But so far, just less than 0.1 percent of facade surfaces are used for PV.

Read the complete article here

1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023HI ERN/Kurt Fuchs

From research to application

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Helmholtz funds three new innovation platforms with 40 million euros.


Our world is characterised by change and transformation. From energy to mobility, health to climate, new challenges are constantly emerging. Researchers in the Helmholtz Association are working on solutions that address these challenges. To transfer research results into practical applications for the benefit of science, society and industry, Helmholtz is funding three new innovation platforms. Together with external partners, concrete innovations can now be developed quickly and flexibly – in the fields of accelerator technologies, photovoltaics and maritime economy.

At the Helmholtz Centres, scientists work on unique, high-performance research infrastructures in relevant fields. The knowledge generated at these infrastructures forms the basis for innovations and new technological developments for industry. Equally, this research data helps us understand and shape our environment. Facilitating direct access to this knowledge via new, faster cooperation models is an important task, and one that Helmholtz takes seriously. Innovation platforms represent a suitable instrument for this exchange, creating access to ideas and exciting infrastructures, thereby facilitating the exchange between research centres and external interested parties. Helmholtz is now funding three new innovation platforms to create new structures and opportunities for technology transfer and the shared use of large-scale equipment, research infrastructures and data.

Read the complete article here