Holiday Wish
December 23 2022
The year 2022 was exceptional for photovoltaics in Slovenia, as the current estimate of newly connected solar PV power plants exceeds 250 MW. This is a 50% increase in the cumulative installed PV power, which mostly comes from private investments in small solar PV power plants in net-metering scheme.
The year 2022 was also exceptional for the Laboratory for Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics. We will remember it for the excellent achievements of its members:
- Prof. Em. Dr. Franc Smole – elected as a Professor Emeritus of University of Ljubljana
- Prof. Dr. Marko Topič – Becquerel Award for outstanding merits in Photovoltaics
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marko Jankovec – Vidmar's Award
- Asst. Prof. Dr. Marko Jošt et al. – Recognition for one of the top 10 research achievements of the University of Ljubljana in 2022
At the end of the year, we wish you to take the advantage of relaxing holidays for an effective rest, which will ensure the renewal of positive energy and prepare you for a healthy, successful and happy coming year 2023!
Happy New Year!
Start of the Pepperoni Project
November 25 2022
LPVO has started participation in the international Horizon Europe Pepperoni project. The Pepperoni consortium has 17 partners from 12 European countries. The project is led by German partners: the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin Institute and the manufacturer of solar cells and photovoltaic modules Q Cells.
The Pepperoni project (Pilot line for European Production of PEROvskite-Silicon taNdem modules on Industrial scale) is a four-year research and innovation project co-financed by the European Union within the Horizon Europe program and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. The project focuses on the development of tandem perovskite-silicon solar cells. The aim of the project is to accelerate the development of tandem cells, their introduction to the market and the establishment of a pilot line as a basis for the introduction of new production capacities in Europe.
LPVO at World photovoltaic conference WCPEC-8
September 16 2022
We will actively participate in the World Photovoltaic Conference WCPEC-8 in Milan between September 26 and 30. This year's world conference combines the European (39th EU PVSEC), American (IEEE PVSC-51) and Asian (PVSEC-32) photovoltaic conferences and will be held both live and online. We will participate in the conference in three roles, with scientific contributions and at the fair, while Prof. Dr. Marko Topič also as a recipient of the prestigious Becquerel Award.
Scientific contributions with first authorship:
- 2AV.1.3, M. Remec, Quantifying Energy Losses Due to Light Soaking Effect in Perovskite Solar Cells under Outdoor Conditions
- 2AV.1.47, D. Uršič, Energy Harvesting from a Single Lab-Scale Perovskite Solar Cells for Self-Powered Indoor IoT Applications
- 2AV.3.11, M. Kovačič, Optical Effects of Laser-Reduced Graphene Oxide Layers in Tandem Perovskite/CIGS Solar Cells studied by Numerical Simulations
- 2AV.3.12, Š. Tomšič, Modelling and Optimization of Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Devices for Enhanced Field Energy Production
- 1BO.4.6, M. Bokalič, Insights into Cut-edges of SHJ Solar Cells by EL and LBIC Characterization
- 2BO.9.1, K. Brecl, The impact of high negative bias on perovskite solar cells in PID testing
- 3DV.1.43, U. Barbič, Stand-alone IoT Enabled Bifacial Irradiance Sensor for PV
- 1DV.4.7, M. Kikelj, Cut out for Efficiency: A Detailed LBIC Study of Edge Recombination in Cut-Cell Silicon Photovoltaics
Scientific contributions in collaboration:
- 2AV.3.15, L. Senaud, High Efficiency 3-Terminal Perovskite/Silicon Tandems Based on Tunnel Junction IBC
- 2BO.9.6, M. Khenkin, Indoor and Outdoor Ageing of Perovskite Solar Cells: Long-Term Stability vs Meta-Stability
- 3CO.6.3, L. Tous, Overview of Key Results Achieved in H2020 HighLite Project Helping to Raise the EU PV Industries’ Competitiveness
- 4DO.3.5, A. Faes, Photovoltaics Modules and Systems Monitoring within HighLite H2020
- 5DV.2.69, S. Nowak, PV Will Shine in the New Clean Energy Transition Partnership
At the exhibition, we will present our solutions in the field of measuring solar cells and monitoring photovoltaic modules at stand E5. We will also be present at stand C8, where together with our European partners we will present the results of the HighLite and SuperPV projects.
The Becquerel Prize Award ceremony will take place as part of the first plenary section of the conference, on Monday, September 26, at 9:30 am.
Vabljeni!
LPVO at MOS 2022 fair
September 13 2022
International craft fair (MOS) will take place between September 14 and 18 in Celje. LPVO participates in the Intersection of Science and Economy (Stičišče znanosti in gospodarstva), which promotes achievements of Slovenian science and strives for closer cooperation between scientific and economic spheres.
We are present at the booth 16, which is located on the first floor of hall L1.
Welcome!
Becquerel Prize
August 22 2022
Prof. Dr. Marko Topič is this year awardee of the Becquerel Prize. The Becquerel Prize, named after the inventor of the photovoltaic effect, Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel, is granted by the European Comission to a single individual who is recognized for outstanding merits in the field of photovoltaics.
The official award ceremony take place on the occasion of the 8th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, which will take place between September 26 and 30 2022 in Milan.
Congratulations!
Free PhD position in LPVO
August 1 2022
In the Laboratory for Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics, we have a vacancy for a young researcher in the field of integrated photonics.
In this field, in the laboratory, we deal with the design, manufacture and characterization of photonic structures and photonic integrated circuits based on silicon technologies. We are involved in the Quantera project in the field of quantum photonics for the production of efficient quantum-photonic circuits produced with the help of microtransfer printing on a silicon-nitride platform. There are many new challenges for the doctoral dissertation in this field.
The PhD student will be involved in the current research in the field of integrated photonics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in cooperation with leading European institutions in the aforementioned field.
Welcome to the world of integrated photonics!
Contact person: Janez Krč
Kick-off of the uTP4Q Project
June 24 2022
The Quantera uTP4Q project partners met at the kick-off meeting of the project at the University of Ghent in Belgium (June 22 2022). The Laboratory for Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics (LPVO) acts as one of six partners on behalf of the University of Ljubljana.
The project entitled A versatile quantum photonic IC platform enabled by micro-transfer printing - uTP4Q extends to the field of integrated quantum photonics. Using the micro-transfer printing method, we intend to combine different components of quantum photonics (single-photon sources, modulators, photodetectors, optical couplers and other components), which are fabricated on different photonic platforms, into a single quantum-photon integrated circuit. You can read more about the project on the web link.
Tapas project meeting
June 17 2022
After the successful completion of the EuroReg PV workshop, we hosted a meeting of the Tapas project at the Laboratory for Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. The Tapas project is a project funded by the Helmholtz European Partnership programme, which focuses on strengthening the existing cooperation between Helmholtz Zentrum Beriln and University of Ljubljana. The topic of the Tapas project is the field of tandem perovskite-silicon solar cells with an emphasis on stability research, finding the source of degradation with advanced characterization techniques, development of dedicated characterization equipment and optoelectric modelling.
Free PhD positions in LPVO
June 15 2022
In the Laboratory for Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics, we have two vacancies for young researchers to work on interesting, current topics. One topic is in the field of photovoltaics and the other in the field of photonics. Contact us for more detailed information. Young researchers are enrolling in doctoral studies at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in the coming academic year.
The deadline for applying for vacancies is short, so please contact Prof. Dr. Janez Krč or Prof. Dr. Benjamin Lipovšek as soon as possible (no later than June 30, 2022).
The 8th Slovenian Photovoltaic Conference SLO-PV 2022 and Workshop EuroReg-PV 2022
June 8 2022
The Laboratory for Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics and the Slovenian Technological Platform for Photovoltaics are organizing the 8th Slovenian Photovoltaic Conference SLO-PV 2022, which will take place on Tuesday, 14 June 2022, between 9 am and 2 pm at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Tržaška cesta 25 in Ljubljana.
At this year's photovoltaic conference, experts will present the latest trends in research and development of solar cells, photovoltaic modules, inverters or photovoltaic systems. They will provide relevant information on the management and maintenance of photovoltaic systems, talk about the development of the Slovenian photovoltaic market and provide answers to questions regarding the installation of a solar power plant and connection to the electricity grid. There will also be a fair presentation of companies offering products and services in the field of photovoltaics and sustainable energy. Attendance at the conference is free, only registration is required.
The EuroReg-PV 2022 workshop will be held shortly after the SLO-PV 2022 conference from 16 to 17 June 2022 at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in our organization.
Article in Journal ACS Energy Letters
March 10 2022
An article entitled Perovskite/CIGS Tandem Solar Cells: From Certified 24.2% toward 30% and Beyond was published yesterday in one of the top five international scientific journals in the field of energy and nanosciences, ACS Energy Letters. The article presents a record Perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cell with 24.2% conversion efficiency, which was the result of collaboration between the Laboratory for Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics (LPVO) and Helmholtz Zentrum Beriln (HZB). Dr. Marko Jošt is the first author, the other co-authors from LPVO are young researcher Špela Tomšič, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Benjamin Lipovšek and Prof. Dr. Marko Topič.
The first press release from the Aurora project
January 18 2022
As part of the Aurora project, we issued the first press release. You can downloaded it in several languages from the project website.