International PV workshop at NEXT ENERGY on 7 and 8 February

Solar cells have long been available as mass-produced goods. Nevertheless, there is still a great need for research, as alternative technologies can significantly reduce production costs. Silicon thin-film technology, which is the focus of research at the EWE research centre for energy technology NEXT ENERGY, is particularly material-saving. In order to promote knowledge transfer in this field, the Oldenburg Institute is inviting 55 photovoltaic experts from six countries to an international workshop on 7 and 8 February 2012. The central topic of the "International Workshop on Modelling of Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells" will be the modelling of silicon thin-film solar cells, i.e. research on computer-aided models. This approach has established itself as an indispensable method alongside laboratory testing. "Simulation gives us the opportunity to look inside the cells," explains Jürgen Lacombe, research associate at NEXT ENERGY, who organised the workshop. "For example, we can find out how the light and the generated charge carriers behave inside the cell; the real experiment denies us an insight into these processes." Only a few institutes worldwide are currently working on simulation in silicon thin-film technology in particular. The international exchange of experience and the assessment of future trends in modelling are correspondingly valuable for all those involved. NEXT ENERGY has been able to attract twelve speakers from Germany, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Switzerland to present the current state of research and several simulation tools. In addition, almost every second participant will contribute a scientific paper to the obligatory poster session on the evening of the first day of the event. The subsequent evening programme on the institute premises will provide ample opportunity for discussion.
Jürgen Lacombe sees the main focus of the programme as being on optical and electrical simulation. "In his presentation, Prof. Dr Christoph Pflaum from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various finite calculation algorithms
for determining the optical generation rate. He will demonstrate how computationally intensive operations can be accelerated through the use of high-performance computing clusters." The motivational lecture by Prof Dr Miro Zeman (TU Delft) will also be exciting: "He will discuss the issues, topics and trends of the future in the field of modelling and explain what we can learn from modelling and what the benefits are for the silicon thin-film solar cell product."