Scientific Council
Join the PVthin Scientific Council
PVthin invites leading researchers in the field of thin-film photovoltaics to join the PVthin Scientific Council. Future objectives will include:
- Providing guidance on research and development of policy positions
- Participating in the European Technology and Innovation Platform PV (ETIP PV) through involvement in the Steering Committee
- Proposing the inclusion of a dedicated thin-film roadmap for the International Technology Roadmap PV (ITRPV)
- Leveraging PVthin as a platform to promote the unique properties of thin-film PV
- Providing a forum to update research groups on regulatory developments in Europe e.g. the Eco-Labeling and Eco-Design Directives
The PVthin Scientific Council’s input will be crucial in the shaping of regulatory tools for the EU single market for green products which can create market uptake incentives for thin-film technologies as a result of their leading environmental profile.
Members of the Scientific Council
Professor Dr. Ayodhya N. Tiwari
Professor Dr. Ayodhya N. Tiwari is the Head of the Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Science and Technology (EMPA) and Adjunct Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich). He is the Chairman and a co-founder of Flisom AG, a Swiss company developing and manufacturing innovative light-weight flexible thin-film solar modules. Dr. Tiwari has more than 35 years of R&D experience in various photovoltaic technologies. He leads EMPA’s PV group which has made several important contributions in the field of CIGS and CdTe thin-film solar cells on glass and flexible substrates including record efficiencies of 20.4% for flexible CIGS cells and 13.8% for flexible CdTe solar cells. Other innovative developments include flexible CIGS solar cells on low cost aluminum foil, the application of simple and safe non-vacuum CIGS and Kesterite deposition processes, as well as high efficiency multi-junction (tandem) solar cells based on CIGS, CdTe, and Dye sensitised solar cells.
Professor Henry J. Snaith
Professor Henry J. Snaith FRS is a Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and is the Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Oxford Photovoltaics, a pioneering UK solar technology company that is leading the commercialisation of perovskite technology. Professor Snaith leads a research group of 20 scientists focused on advancing the next generation of solar technologies including solid-state dye-sensitised, hybrid and perovskite solar cells. His current research is focused on developing new PV materials and understanding and controlling the physical processes that occur within the devices. He has made a number of advances and discoveries, with the most notable being the exciting discovery of metal halide perovskites. Perovskite is the fastest improving solar cell technology known to date. In 2013, Professor Snaith was named one of Nature’s ten people who mattered in 2013, in recognition of his work on next generation solar power technology.
Professor Alessandro Romeo
Professor Alessandro Romeo is an Associate Professor at the University of Verona where he leads research on the preparation, fabrication and characterisation of second generation thin-film solar cells. As a research fellow at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich) in 1997, Professor Romeo developed a process for the deposition of thin-film CdTe/CdS solar cells which achieved efficiencies that exceeded 10%. His current research focuses on new applications of CdTe thin-film solar cells on flexible substrates, innovative structures, and alternative back contacts that enable high stability and bifacial configurations. By using a transparent conductive oxide as a back contact, the CdTe solar cells are able to absorb light from both sides with efficiencies of more than 10%. Professor Romeo worked closely with the thin-film physics group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology to achieve a world record efficiency for flexible CdTe solar cells on a polymer substrate. Professor Romeo is also involved in the commercialisation of an 18 MW CdTe PV production plant near Milan, the first thin-film module manufacturing facility in Italy.
Professor Vasilis Fthenakis
Professor Vasilis Fthenakis is the Founder and Director of the Center for Life Cycle Analysis (CLCA) of Columbia University. He also leads the National PV Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Research Center operating at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy. Professor Fthenakis has led international forums on the life cycle analysis of PV technologies, under the auspices of European Union’s-Joint Research Center (JRC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the International Energy Foundation. In the area of life cycle analysis, Professor Fthenakis concentrated on 2nd generation thin-film photovoltaics for which there were no previous studies. His current research focuses on PV recycling, life-cycle environmental impact analysis, air pollution prevention and control, and modeling of accidental chemical releases. Professor Fthenakis has received multiple Commendations and Certificates of Appreciation from the Department of Energy as well as a Commendation from the Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for his exemplary performance on PV safety analysis reviews.
Professor Dr. Rutger Schlatmann
Professor Dr. Rutger Schlatmann is director of PVcomB, the Institute for technology transfer in Thin-Film and Nanotechnology for Photovoltaics at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, where he is also the speaker for the Renewable Energy Division. His current research focuses on thin-film and nanotechnology for Si-based and compound semiconductor solar energy, from single cells to full outdoor systems.
He obtained his PhD at the FOM Institute Amolf in Amsterdam. From 1999 until 2008 he was as R&D manager at Helianthos BV (AkzoNobel/ Shell Solar/ Nuon), a company developing flexible thin-film Si solar modules. He is also vice-President of the Berlin Brandenburg Energy Network.