The 22nd EU PVSEC at one glance

Once again the EU PVSEC turned out to be the most important global event for information exchange and market development in the field of photovoltaics. It was a great week of dialogue, exchange of experiences, insight into developments and visions for the future.

With a total of round 15.000 participants and specialised visitors, the 22nd EU PVSEC broke visitor records. Of the total, 3,000 were registered as conference participants. Around 12,000 specialised visitors attended the parallel industry exhibition.

The Conference and Exhibition uniquely combined scientific and technological issues from the view point of research, development and applications, industries, utilities, politics, architecture and PV solar users.

In numerous oral presentations, lectures and visual presentations, the world's leading PV Solar specialists provided insight into advances in PV Solar energy research & development, technological progress, applications, legislative and fiscal issues and finances, covering therefore the complete spectrum of Photovoltaic activities.

Technical Programme Chair

Dr. Heinz A. Ossenbrink
EC Joint Research Centre
Via Enrico Fermi, 1
Ispra
21020 Italy
pv.conference@jrc.it
Fax: +39 0332 789646

The Conference was accompanied by Special Side events on specific PV Solar topics and by the ‘PV Industry Forum’.


The Becquerel Prize

A highlight of the EU PVSEC was the presentation of the Becquerel
Prize, first awarded by the European Commission in 1989 to mark
the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the photovoltaic effect by
the Frenchman Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel.

This year the prize went to Prof. Arvind Shah.

Prof. Arvind Shah received the Becquerel Award for his ground-breaking work on Silicon thin film solar cells. He is the founder of the Photovoltaics Laboratory at the Institute of Microtechnology of the University of Neuchâtel were he developed with his team the VHF (Very High Frequency) deposition technique for high-rate low cost deposition of amorphous silicon. At his laboratory he further developed microcrystalline silicon as a novel and viable solar cell material.
The PV Laboratory in Neuchâtel under Arvind Shah subsequently demonstrated the concept of the microcrystalline-amorphous (“micromorph”) tandem solar cell. This tandem solar cell basically combines the advantages of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon. The “micromorph” concept has become one of the main avenues followed worldwide by industrial laboratories involved in establishing low-cost solar cell production.


Poster Awards

Considered as one of the main features of the Conference in which the most outstanding visual presentations were awarded. The award giving procedures were based on the quality of the contents reported and on the quality of the presentation.
The poster awards were announced and delivered during the Closing Session on Friday, 7 September to:

Topic 1 / 1CV 1.47
“Fast Series Resistance Imaging Using Photoluminescence”
- E.Pink, T.Trupke, R.A.Bardos, M.D.Abbott & Y.Augarten -

Topic 1 / 1DV 3.38
“Deep Strain Balanced Quantum Well Solar Cells Under Concentrator Conditions”
- B.Browne, J.P.Connolly, I.M.Ballard, K.W.J.Barnham, D.B.Bushnell, D.C.Johnson, M.C.Lynch, R.Ginige, G.Hill, C.Calder & J.S.Roberts -

Topic 2 / 2DV 2.14
 “High Quality Surface Passivation and Heterojunction Fabrication by VHF-PECVD Deposition of Amorphous Silicon on Crystalline Si: Theory and Experiments”
- S.Olibet, E.Vallat-Sauvain, C.Ballif, L.Fesquet&F.Freitas -

Topic 2 / 2DV 2.24
“TEM Characterization of a Multicrystalline Si Material for PV Applications”
- H.Nordmark, M.Di Sabatino, R.Holmestad, E.J.Ovrelid, J.C.Walmsley -

Topic 3 / 3AV1.15
 “Anodic Bonding and Heterojunction-Emitter for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cell:Two Steps Towards an Epitaxy-Free Lift-Off Cell”
- V.Depauw, I.Gordon, G.Beaucarne, J.Poortmans, R.Mertens&J.P.Celis -

Topic 3 / 3AV2.23
 “N-Side Illuminated Nip Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells With Microcrystalline Silicon Carbide Window Layers Grown Via HWCVd at Low Temperature”
- Y.Huang, A.Gordijn, F.Finger, A. Dasgupta, J.Hüpkes, W.Reetz & R. Carius -

Topic 4 / 4AV.3.50
 “Experimental Measurement of Working Temperature of PV Modules Considering Electrical Performance and Proposal of a New Indoor NOCT Determination”
- J.P.Silva, F.Chenlo & J.L.Balenzategui -

Topic 5 / 5BV.3.1
 “The Identification of Snow Through the Analysis of Satellite Data and Its Impact on the Operation of Grid Connected PV Systems”
- M.Zehner, M.Schroedter-Homscheidt, G.Becker, G.Wirth, C.Vodermayer & G.Wotruba -

Topic 6 / 6DV5.16
 “Set up and Monitoring of a Mini-Grid PV System in a Nigerian Village”
- S. Bechis, D. Ricauda Aimonino & A. Vilianis -

Robert Hill Award

In a long and distinguished career in photovoltaics research, Professor Bob Hill worked on many aspects of PV development, including both technology and policy issues. One of his most abiding passions was the appropriate use of PV to im-prove quality of life, especially where the provision of access to electricity can transform the health, comfort and prospects of the poorest sectors of the community. In his memory, the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference will award for the third time a prize for outstanding achievement in the use of photovoltaics for development, particularly in relation to progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

Please find here the Laudatio.