In the spring of this year, the one terawatt (TW) mark of installed PV capacity was surpassed, marking a major milestone for solar energy. However, there is still much more to come, and an acceleration of industrial production and deployment is in sight. “This exponential growth towards a multi-terawatt market presents enormous opportunities as well as challenges for the industry and research communities. They affect all steps of the value chain, from product design to material procurement and recycling,” explained Prof. Dr. Andreas Bett, head of Fraunhofer ISE. With solar energy playing a central role in the future global energy system, the challenges and opportunities for complementary technologies, such as energy storage, grid integration, power to gas/liquids, and multiple sector electrification, are also increasing. Research spanning materials science, module design, systems…
