Press Release

Within the Research Project “PV-MoVe”, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technologies IEE investigated how to use active switching loss reduction networks for power semi-conductors to enable smaller, more lightweight, and more cost-efficient photovoltaic converters. Using newly developed additional circuitry, switching frequencies for a 50 kW PV inverter could be increased by a factor of 2.5 – 3 for the DC input stage and by a factor of 10 – 12.5 for the inverter output stage. The project was worked on in cooperation with project part-ners Infineon Technologies AG and SUMIDA Components & Modules GmbH from 2019 to 2023, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action BMWK.

Stefan Lange from the Fraunhofer Centre for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP in Halle (Saale) has been awarded the Heinz Bethge Prize for Materials Science, worth 500 euros, by the Heinz Bethge Foundation for Applied Electron Microscopy for his dissertation entitled "Parasitic oxides at buried interfaces in modern silicon solar cells". His findings can contribute to a better understanding of the fundamental properties of the layer systems in a solar cell and the associated electronic properties.

Bremerhaven, November 10, 2023 – Senator Kristina Vogt and Lord Mayor of Bremerhaven Melf Grantz are launching trial operation at the Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven (HLB) together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES. The infrastructure is thus now ready for the research work in Bremerhaven focusing on the in-teraction between wind turbines and electrolytic hydrogen produc-tion to begin. The HLB received a total of €16 million in funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the State of Bremen.

The quality and manufacturing of the encapsulation and backsheet films play an important role in the reliability of a solar module. Only if the quality, processing and compatibility of the films are right, protection of the interconnected solar cells against environmental influences can be guaranteed and the module be ready for use for decades. Together with partners, the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP is investigating new types of encapsulation and backsheet films for PV modules that should have a service life of at least 40 years.

A cross-organizational team from Rigaku SE and Fraunhofer IISB has established a new semicon-ductor material characterization method in their jointly operated Center of Expertise for X-ray Topography in Erlangen, Germany. They succeeded not only in developing an industry-ready X-ray topography system, but also in employing defect detection and quantification algorithms, achieving a worldwide unique material characterization method for silicon carbide (SiC) wafers. SiC is an excellent semiconductor for application areas like electric mobility and transportation, sustainable energy supply, industrial infrastructure up to sensors and quantum technologies even under harsh operating conditions. As representatives for the whole research team, Dr. Kranert and Dr. Reimann from Fraunhofer IISB and Dr. Hippler, Managing Director Rigaku Europe SE, have won the Georg Waeber Innovation Award 2023 from the Förderkreis für die Mikroelektronik e.V. (Microelectronics Promotion Society).

Led by Fraunhofer ISI, the BOLD project provided scientific support accompanying three field trials and twelve other research projects on electric trucks powered by overhead lines. Together with ifeu and Öko-Institut and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Fraunhofer ISI analyzed the acceptance of the technology, the opportunities and barriers in industry and the policy landscape as well as the climate and environmental impact of the technology. The now published final report describes the main lessons from these projects and assesses the potential rollout of the technology.

Existing strategies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are unlikely to be sufficient to mitigate climate change. One way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air is through negative emissions, which is the removal of CO2 from the air followed by storage. Various natural and technical processes are available for this purpose. One of these technical options is Direct Air Capture and Carbon Storage (DACCS).

Load-path-compatible and material-efficient fiber reinforcement of components is made possible by the use of UD tapes. If these are laid down three-dimensionally in the manufacturing process, many design options are available, especially for lightweight components that are manufactured in small quantities. In cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS, the company Automation Steeg & Hoffmeyer GmbH (ASH) developed the system: F³-Compositor and successfully implemented it in the Polymer Pilot Plant Center PAZ. The innovative approach of the F³-Compositor combines tape depositing and joining of the semi-finished products with high reproducibility and material efficiency.

A new software framework is to make it easier for companies to approve or audit applications based on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The framework is being jointly developed by Fraunhofer IPA in conjunction with the Institute of Industrial Manufacturing and Management IFF at the University of Stuttgart as part of the “AIQualify” research project of the German Association for Quality (DGQ).

When it comes to particularly low-loss semiconductor components and highly efficient power electronics, there is no way around silicon carbide (SiC) today. The wide-bandgap semiconductor material SiC is superior to conventional silicon in many respects and is conquering more and more new areas of application, for example in optoelectronics, sensor technology or solid-state quantum electronics. Even in space, SiC demonstrates its outstanding physical properties: A SiC UV photodiode from the Berlin-based company sglux is on board the current NASA mission Mars 2020. The SiC chip with the heterostructures for the UV photodiode was processed at Fraunhofer IISB in Erlangen on the institute's own CMOS line. Since the Mars rover “Perseverance” landed on the surface of Mars on February 18, 2021, the SiC photodiode has been functioning with absolute reliability under extreme environmental conditions. The UV sensor is a component of the SHERLOC deep-UV Raman spectrometer, employed by NASA to search for traces of past life on the surface of Mars. Fraunhofer IISB offers SMEs, mid-sized companies and industry low-threshold access to high-tech infrastructure and unique know-how in the field of semiconductor technology.