An ETIP PV Steering Committee meeting held online and in Brussels has seen the election of new chairs for the term 2022-2024, the 25 voters involved in the consortium electing a new Chair and two Vice-Chairs.
Rutger Schlatmann, head of the solar energy division at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) and professor at HTW Berlin, was elected as the new ETIP PV Chair. He will be supported by David Moser, head of the Photovoltaic Energy Systems research group at the Institute for Renewable Energy (EURAC Research), and Jutta Trube, Divisional Manager of the Photovoltaic Equipment group at VDMA, who was also elected as the new Vice-Chairperson of the ETIP PV Steering Committee.
Following his election, Schlatmann expressed his optimism for the platform, commenting: “Photovoltaic solar energy in Europe and globally has entered a new and decisive phase. The technology is ready to take a major role in the transition towards a fully renewable energy system. Still, there is ample room for further innovation and continued efforts are necessary to maintain Europe’s position at the technological forefront. ETIP PV has outlined this innovation potential in the recent Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Photovoltaics (SRIA).”
Schlatman emphasised that technological leadership and security of energy supply can only be maintained with a thriving and comprehensive supply chain for solar module production on the European continent. Therefore, ETIP PV and its partners will continue to strive for a healthy photovoltaic ecosystem in Europe.
The two Vice-Chairs also expressed optimistic projections while highlighting clear urgencies: “The coming period will be a very exciting era for ETIP-PV. With PV becoming the true driver of the much-needed energy transition, this will bring opportunities but also many challenges,” Moser said, continuing by emphasising the need to prepare for the Terawatt-era by advocating for a “made in EU” PV value chain, fostering an environment for skilled new generation PV professionals and including society at large in the overall equation to ensure a just transition. “In my group at EURAC Research, one of our key mottos is to “break silos.” In fact, only by talking to all the stakeholders in the value chain is it possible to understand how we should promote dialogue to improve the workflow, to innovate and to think outside the box,” he added.
Trube commented: “It is a pleasure for me to serve as Vice-Chair of ETIP-PV, given my responsibility for the European photovoltaic equipment manufacturers at VDMA, the largest association for mechanical and plant engineering companies”.
Trube went on to state that she will utilise her experience and focus on the opportunities and challenges for the European photovoltaic sector, especially as the United States and India are introducing very attractive programs to stimulate PV manufacturing, adding: “We in Europe need fast answers for our climate politics.”