Two Scientists, Two Institutes, One Goal: Highest Efficiency Solar Cells
For the eleventh year in a row, SolarWorld’s prestigious Junior Einstein Award has been awarded to excellent young scientists and engineers. At the award ceremony, which took place during the Intersolar Europe in Munich on June 22, 2016, the German solar company presented this year’s award to two young scientists: Dr. Frank Feldmann of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and his scientific colleague Dr. Udo Roemer of the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hameln. The jury of the international competition honored both researchers for their groundbreaking work on passivated contacts, which enables considerably higher silicon solar cell efficiencies.
In his doctoral thesis, Frank Feldmann laid the foundation for a new world record efficiency of 25.1 percent for both sides-contacted silicon solar cells. Announced in its Press Release 27/2015, Fraunhofer ISE brought the world record to Germany surpassing the former record for the first time in twenty years. “Frank Feldmann succeeded by using a totally new approach that demonstrates a clear upward potential,” says Jury Chair Dr. Holger Neuhaus.
The full-area passivated back contact, developed by Frank Feldmann, is the special feature of the 25.1% silicon solar cell manufactured at Fraunhofer ISE. To achieve efficiency improvements, the focus was previously on increasingly complex cell structures. In the new concept, the entire rear cell surface can be contacted without any patterning. Compared to the high efficiency solar cell structures, the manufacturing process is simpler and the efficiency higher.
“I am very pleased to receive this award,” says the award recipient from Freiburg. “First, I would like to thank the jury. Many thanks also goes to my thesis supervisor, Prof. Dr. Oliver Paul at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Freiburg and the second supervisor, Prof. Dr. Gerard Willeke, at Fraunhofer ISE.
