Fraunhofer, CEA-LETI researchers receive award for reusable substrate development

Munich, Germany--Fraunhofer researchers have teamed up with their colleagues at CEA-LETI (Grenoble, France) to develop reusable substrates for III-V multi-junction solar cells, which garnered them the 2011 Franco German Business Award.

Multi-junction solar cells are particularly efficient in solar modules for rooftops and large-scale solar power plants, as they can achieve efficiencies of up to 43 percent—twice that of conventional solar cells made of crystalline silicon. This is possible because multi-junction solar cells consist of 30 semiconductor layers that combine to transform the entire spectrum of sunlight into electrical energy. Used in concentrator photovoltaics, the lenses focus the light of the sun 500 times onto tiny solar cells to produce solar electricity on a large scale, particularly in solar power plants located in areas rich in sunlight. Among the producers of these plants is SOITEC Solar GmbH (Freiburg, Germany), a former spinoff of the Fraunhofer Institute or Solar Energy Systems ISE.

The materials that make up multi-junction solar cells are very costly. Recognizing this, the joint Fraunhofer/CEA-LETI project, dubbed the SOLARBOND project, is developing new substrates for multi-junction solar cells, replacing the expensive materials with reusable substrates. Now, solar cells are now removable from the new substrate, which is then recycled several times. This way, the cost of producing solar cells can be reduced by up to 20 percent.

The researchers involved in the project were honored for their international research with the 2011 Franco-German Business Award on December 5, 2011, in Paris, presented by the Franco-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry AHK. The business award is presented in recognition of best practices over the past two years. Patrons of the award are the French Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, François Baroin; and the German Federal Minister for Economics and Technology, Dr. Philipp Rösler.

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