Freiburg/Abu Dhabi (January 16, 2019) Prof. Eicke R. Weber, former director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and Vice President of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) has been awarded the SOLAR FUTURE.TODAY Visionary Influencer Award 2019 in the category Yearly Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented to Prof. Weber during the 3rd Black-Tie Gala Abu Dhabi on the occasion of the 3rd SOLAR FUTURE.TODAY World Annual Forum in Abu Dhabi last night, on January 15, 2019.
Eicke R. Weber has been active in solar energy research for many years. Having received his qualification as professor of physics in 1983 from the University of Cologne, he taught at the University of California, Berkeley, for twenty years. In the field of material science, Weber made a name for himself worldwide with his work on defects in silicon and III-V semiconductors such as gallium arsenide and gallium nitride. He was especially interested in how metallurgical silicon with a certain amount of impurities could be used to produce high efficiency solar cells. In 2006 he returned to Germany to assume the position of Institute Director of Fraunhofer ISE, until his retirement in 2016. During his time as director of Fraunhofer ISE, Weber was also professor of physics/solar energy in the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics as well as the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Freiburg.
“We congratulate Eicke Weber on this award! He highly deserves this recognition for his commitment to not only bringing solar energy research forward, but also anchoring renewable energy in the global economic system at the same time”, say Prof. Hans-Martin Henning and Dr. Andreas Bett, who followed Prof. Weber as directors of Fraunhofer ISE in 2017. “Eicke Weber has always supported and continues to support the energy transformation with great enthusiasm on both the scientific and political arenas.”
