The Dutch Solar Awards were presented at a spectacular awards show in the Conference Centre, High Tech Campus Eindhoven. Awards were presented for the categories Industry Development, Project Development, Young Solar and Solar Thesis. From a field of fifty competitors and twelve finalists, the winners TULiPPS Solar, Scheuten Solar, SoLayTec and Gijs Dingemans emerged.
The awards show, under the direction of jury chair Wim Sinke, was attended by two hundred representatives from the Dutch Solar Community. Following the opening keynote speech by (sustainable) power expert Erik Lysen, titled ‘Solar power in the Netherlands and beyond: the determination of the pioneers’, the various awards were presented.
Industry Development Award
This first award, for best industrial innovation, was given to TULiPPS Solar for its COSMOS PV module technology. TULiPPS Solar has developed a light-weight ‘frameless’ module with an extremely thin layer of thermally hardened glass and a plastic construction at the rear. This 500 watt peak module will be launched in 2012.
Project Development Award
For the Project Development Award the profession itself could exercise its influence through voting for its favourite with an online voting module. From the count of the jury and professional public’s votes it was clear that Scheuten Solar was the winner. The company received the award for the solar project they are involved in for Rotterdam Central Station. Scheuten Solar has supplied no less than three thousand glass-glass solar panels for the station roof. These solar modules are being integrated in the glass station roof.
Young Solar Award
The first Young Solar Award – awarded to solar start-ups – has been won by SoLayTec in Eindhoven. This start-up develops and supplies Atomic Layer Deposition machines for the solar industry. With its technology, SoLayTec accelerated the manufacturing process for wafers from twenty minutes to ten seconds per wafer.
Solar Thesis Award
The Solar Thesis Award, which rewards the thesis that advances knowledge of solar power the most, was won by Gijs Dingemans from the Eindhoven University of Technology. Dingemans won the award for his dissertation on the passivation of crystalline silicon solar cells. He has supplied answers to significant problems that faced the international solar community regarding extremely thin layers of aluminium oxide.
About the Dutch Solar Awards
The Dutch Solar Awards are an important national competition in which Dutch solar companies and experts together measure their performance. The awards have a common goal of focusing attention on solar power and promoting its application. Four prizes were presented in total: the Industry Development Award for the most exceptional innovation, the Project Development Award for the best implemented project using solar power systems, the Young Solar Award for the most promising solar start-up and the Solar Thesis Award for the best thesis.
