Fraunhofer

SolInk to boost performance of solar modules

Sol Voltaics has unveiled SolInk™, an economical nanomaterial that promises to increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon or thin film solar modules by up to 25 percent or more, leading to solar power plants and rooftop solar arrays that will generate far more electricity than today's best commercially available systems.

Intelligent lighting: Integrated devices & sustainable practices

Lighting technologies can be considered mundane in many ways but light and its properties find applications in products much more varied than lamps and luminaires.

A longer life for lithium-sulfur batteries

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden have developed a new design that increases the charge cycles of lithium-sulfur batteries by a factor of seven.

Intelligent lighting: Integrated devices & sustainable practices

Lighting technologies can be considered mundane in many ways but light and its properties find applications in products much more varied than lamps and luminaires.

Record efficiency for black silicon solar cells

Scientists at Aalto University, Finland and Fraunhofer ISE, Germany report an efficiency of 18.7% for black silicon solar cells, the highest efficiency reported so far for a black silicon solar cell.

Harvesting unused energy with flat thermoelectrics

Researchers are now presenting a new manufacturing process with which these generators can be cost-effectively produced in the form of large-area flexible components from non-toxic synthetic materials.

Breakthrough in electricity storage

More and more electricity is being generated from intermittent sources of power, such as solar and wind energy. Powerful electric energy storage devices are necessary to level out corresponding irregularities in the power supply.

The latest on the $10 Billion 2013 OLED market - all at OLEDs LIVE!

Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are coming in three waves.

All eyes on Supercapacitors

Supercapacitors (ultracapacitors) are now center stage for designers of electronics and particularly power circuits. This is because they are improving faster than the batteries and electrolytic capacitors they increasingly replace. More subtly, they reduce the need for and danger from lithium-ion batteries. For example, when placed across a rechargeable battery, they protect it from fast charging and discharging and allow more of the energy in the battery to be utilised. Learn more ...

New pilot line for organic electronics

Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic solar cells can now be developed at Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam-Golm in a near-industrial scale. The new pilot line was designed and implemented by Fraunhofer IAP in cooperation with the plant manufacturer MBRAUN.

Public funded OLED project So-Light successfully concluded

Eleven leading German OLED companies and research institutions announced the successful completion of the OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) related project; So-Light.

A new world record for solar cell efficiency

In a remarkable feat, scientists at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have developed thin film solar cells on flexible polymer foils with a new record efficiency of 20.4% for converting sunlight into electricity.

Lessons from EU Project Day on eMobility

In Brussels, Belgium, on November 19, there was a day devoted to presenting most of the European Union projects on eMobility. This is a term used in Continental Europe to mean what they call Full Electric Vehicles (FEV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), mainly on-road.

Adding solar power to microchips

In Israel, Sol Chip Ltd is developing a technology to address the needs of remote and mobile devices that operate autonomously and require prolonged battery life and improved battery charging proficiency along with reduction of environmental hazards.

Scientists research safe battery technology for electric vehicles

Over the next three years, 15 partners from German science and the automotive and supply industry will research how the safety of lithium ion batteries can be further improved for electric and hybrid vehicles.

New processes for cost-efficient solar cell production

The competition in the photovoltaics market is fierce. When it comes to price, Asian manufacturers are frequently ahead of the competition by a nose. Now, Fraunhofer researchers are designing new coating processes and thin layer systems that, if used, could help to reduce the price of solar cells significantly - and give the competitive edge back to German manufacturers, too.