The topics and discussions of the 37th edition of the European PV Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition have shown once again that a sustainable energy supply is becoming ever more important.

New challenges lie ahead of us, but with initiatives like the Green Deal, there is hope for Europe.

Here are a few impressions of one week full of discussions and presentations about PV and its future potential.

Perovskites for the industry

The EU PVSEC 2020 comprised a vast scope of different PV topics. We have learned about advances ranging from solar cells in a range of technologies to applications and economics.

Wafer-based silicon cells, the workhorse of the PV industry, continue to improve in manufacturing and efficiency, e.g. PERX, TOPCon, SHJ, Bifacial. From a European perspective it was a boost to hear of the 25% efficiency European record SHJ cell. A very comprehensive overview of OPV indicated the clear progress being made, and records in OPV efficiency were announced. Perovskites continue to progress, also as an element of tandem devices. There is also more attention to encapsulate perovskite cells and modules, allowing the field to move towards testing efficient devices under outdoor conditions.

It comes as no surprise that Prof. Henry Snaith of Oxford University was awarded the Becquerel Prize for his outstanding research with perovskites. He is aiming to start to production of his perovskite-silicon tandem cells by 2021.

AI for large systems

As systems get larger, autonomous monitoring of PV Systems, for example using UAVs, is essential. The introduction of digital tools such as AI and Machine Learning is helping to improve forecasting and system monitoring. These help achieve higher energy production yields and reduced costs for operation and maintenance.

The benefits of a range of applications, including BIPV, Agro-PV and VIPV and Power to X have been successfully demonstrated. The importance of storage to integrate increasing penetration of renewables in the energy system has been underscored.

Finally, we heard that only PV can deliver enough power to decarbonize, a message that will encourage all workers in the field to keep striving to maintain the momentum.

Successful online event

Despite concerns about a virtual event, the EU PVSEC 2020 online was a huge success and numbers confirm it:

With over 850 live presentations across 5 days, 1.500 participants from 65 countries were virtually connected. The opening session was streamed live on Youtube and caught the attention of over 3.000 viewers.

Sessions available for streaming

All conference sessions, as well as parallel events will be available for streaming on demand for one full month after the event. The networking lounges are still open, and the download of related magazines is also possible.

Lisbon 2021

The 38th edition of the European PV Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition will be held from 6 – 10 September 2021 in Lisbon.

On our own behalf:

Change in Management Board at WIP Renewable Energies

At WIP Renewable Energies there is a shift in the management. Managing Director WIP, Dr. Peter Helm, partner and founder of WIP Renewable Energies, is appointing Jonas Bergmiller as the Managing Director for the Events department.

This additional position follows the strategy to ensure a further future-oriented organisation. After over 50 years of successful operational work within WIP Dr. Peter Helm will now chair WIP’s newly created advisory board and additionally, together with Jonas Bergmiller, focus on the preparation of the upcoming EU PVSEC events.

New foundation for management team

"We are placing the management of our company on a solid foundation", says Dr. Peter Helm.

As Managing Director Events, Jonas Bergmiller will form the counterpart to Dr. Rainer Janssen, who already heads WIP`s research and project department.

"With the successful transformation of the EU PVSEC into an online event, we have shown that we can also go digital. This was an important step for the future, as we want to create further offers for knowledge transfer for the PV community," says Jonas Bergmiller.

WIP Renewable Energies has over 30 years of experience in event organization. This includes the conception, pre-financing, preparation, organisation and management of high level and large-scale on-line and on-site international conferences, workshops, seminars in the field of Renewable Energies.

Contact Information:

For more information contact Stefanie Leanza

Mail: press@wip-munich.de

Phone: +49 (0)89 720 12 730

www.photovoltaic-conference.com