- education -

The PV Academy

The PV Academy is an educational format which will give a deep insight into selected PV research & development topics and supports the global PV community with the mission:

to educate about the fundamentals of different PV technologies
to facilitate newcomers in the field to understand and contribute to PV research as well as follow talks at PV specialist conferences
to summarize and contextualize the latest developments in PV research
to give graduates and educators the opportunity to refresh and update their knowledge

The additional event will take place

Sunday 25th September 2022

onsite in the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan.

Just before the opening of the 8th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion.

Programme

Some of the most recognized and experienced scientists in the field will give four top level lectures:

8:30 - 10:30 Silicon Solar cells: Past and Future

Silicon solar cells are the backbone of the photovoltaic industry with a rich history. Cell efficiencies up to 26.7% have been reached, close to the fundamental Auger limit for this material. But the industrial deployment came with the requirement of reaching extremely low manufacturing costs which influenced the most successful cell structures on the market. But efficiency stays a key objective of research and industrial deployment. This lecture class embarks deeply into the field from history to present challenges and future ideas.

Dr. Pierre Verlinden/Amrock

Prof. Stefan Glunz/ Fraunhofer ISE

11:00 – 13:00 PV and Architecture

The deployment of photovoltaic modules and systems will increase massively in coming decades as buildings will transform into energy producing envelopes for our businesses and homes. There is a need to harmonize with industrial manufacturing routines and international standards as well as the play of design and architecture which shapes our cities. This tutorial shows best practice examples, discusses challenges and shares a view into the future of energy producing cities.

Prof. Angèle Reinders/TU Eindhoven

Prof. Francesco Frontini/SUPSI

14:00 - 16:00 Tandem Solar Cells

Tandem solar cells have been the home of III-V compound semiconductor devices for many decades used to power space satellites and concentrating PV systems. These solar cells reach nearly 40 % efficiency without concentration and 47% under concentration, stacking up to 6 subcells on top of each other. More recently perovskites are entering this field with performances close to 30% for tandems with Silicon and this offers a path to lower cost but still high efficiency tandem cells for a wide range of terrestrial applications. The tutorial shares insights from the fundamentals of III-V tandem and perovskite based tandem solar cells as well as the related industrialisation challenges.

Dr. Ryan France/NREL

Prof. Christoph Ballif/EPFL

16:30 - 18:30 PV Systems and Storage Solutions

Solar cells and photovoltaic modules are only one part of a solar energy system and other aspects need to be considered when heading towards a high penetration of PV in our electricity network. This tutorial discusses the fundamentals of PV systems and their integration into the grid. One challenge is the fluctuating nature of solar energy which is not always matched to consumption and therefore requires storage solutions. This tutorial discusses options for short-term and seasonal storage solutions and requirements to reach a stable grid with high amount of wind and solar power.