Advanced Solar Cell Technologies (CAS)

Institution

University of Freiburg
Department of Sustainable Systems Engineering - INATECH

Location

Online

Target Audience

Working professionals with:

• Existing knowledge of the energy sector
• Professional experience in the photovoltaic industry

Prerequisites

• Eagerness to study with some of the most experienced solar energy instructors and leaders of the world.
• Academic level English proficiency.
• Bachelor’s degree (or similar) or professional diploma in relevant fields

Admission Documents

• Application form (must be filled out on a computer and signed with applicant's original signature.)
• Short curriculum vitae with a presentation of professional career in English
• Diplomas and degrees (in English or German - translated by a sworn translator) – if available

Content

This Certificate provides comprehensive knowledge on solar cell characterization, thin-film and concentrator photovoltaics, advanced processing, and new solar cell concepts.

Programme Details

• E-learning via online video lectures accompanied by readings, exercises and online meetings with tutors and lecturers. Important questions regarding content or organization are asked and answered in the course forum.
• Project work and three written online exams with online supervision.
• A seminar that includes the preparation of a handout and final oral presentation

Learning Objectives

After successful completion of CAS students should be able to:

• Understand the different material and device analysis techniques used in solar cell characterization.
• Interpret measurement results and explain the underlying processes and properties of solar cells and materials.
• Explain dye and organic solar cells.
• Describe hybrid, quantum dot, and perovskite solar cells.
• Explain the physical principle behind perovskite solar cells.
• Explain the working principle of tunnel diodes and their characterization.
• Describe concentrator solar cells and their general characteristics.
• Explain CPV module manufacturing and the advantages of series and parallel connection.
• Describe the specific characterization methods for multijunction concentrator cells and modules.
• Define essential properties for the contacts used in thin-film solar technology and explain the monolithic integration of cells into the module.
• Assess three leading thin-film technologies, a-Si, CIGS, and CdTe.

Course Format

Online

Workload

450 hours (Veranstaltungen + Selbststudium)

Creditpoints (ECTS)

15

Language

English

Course Dates

For the participants, the program is flexible in terms of time and location so that they can organize their studies individually. The fixed dates for online sessions are set by group poll (e.g., dfn-Terminplaner), taking into account the time zones of the participants.

Dr. Martin Schubert
Head of Department Characterization and Simulation at Fraunhofer ISE.

Dr. Martin Heinrich
Head of Team “Module Efficiency and New Concepts” at Fraunhofer ISE.

Dr. Uli Würfel
Head of the Department “Organic and Perovskite Photovoltaics” at Fraunhofer ISE.

Dr. Gerald Siefer
Head of Group „III-V Cell and Module Characterization” at Fraunhofer ISE.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Powalla
Head of Photovoltaics Division at Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW), Professor in Thin-film photovoltaics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.