Technical Program

Plenary Speakers


Area 1: Jean-François Guillemoles, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)

Hot Carrier Solar Cells: Myths and Realities

JF Guillemoles is a CNRS Research Director at IRDEP, a joint EDF-CNRS-ENSCP lab and Director of NextPV an international joint lab between CNRS and the RCAST (University of Tokyo), where he is also visiting professor. He is currently active on high efficiency concepts for solar energy conversion (Hot Carriers, Intermediate Band, Multijunctions, Nanophotonics), luminescence-based characterization techniques (esp. Hyperspectral imaging), and modeling of photovoltaic materials and devices. He is author/co-author of more than 300 publications (peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, patents, proceedings, etc.).

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Area 2: Markus Gloeckler, First Solar, Inc.

The Adolescence of Cadmium Telluride Photovoltaics

Dr. Markus Gloeckler serves as the Chief Scientist at First Solar. He also oversees all advanced research functions, which over the past five years, have drastically increased the efficiency entitlement of CdTe PV. Dr. Gloeckler received a PhD from Colorado State University and after 15 years in the field, continuous to marvel at the complexity of the device physics of thin-film materials.

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Area 3: Stefan Myrskog, Morgan Solar, Inc.

Beyond Fresnel Lenses: Low-Profile, Solid CPV Modules Using Total Internal Reflection

Dr. Stefan Myrskog is Chief Scientist at Morgan Solar. He received his Ph.D. in 2004 from the University of Toronto in the field of ultra-cold atomic physics. He got his start in photovoltaics through his post-doctoral fellowship working with colloidal lead-sulphide quantum dot devices. In 2008 he joined Morgan Solar where he has combined his optics and photovoltaics backgrounds in the development of CPV.

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Area 4: Pietro Altermatt, Trina Solar, Limited

High-performance p-type multi-crystalline silicon material, its characterization and projected performance in different solar cell configurations

Pietro P. Altermatt's main area of research has been the development of physical models for the numerical simulation of crystalline silicon solar cells and testing devices, including ray tracing and numerically solving the Maxwell equations. Of equal interest to him is the application of these models to simulation strategies tailored to research, development and particularly mass production. Such simulations form the quantitative basis for roadmaps, predicting the optimum device design, the necessary production equipment, and the feasible silicon material. He is principal scientist at the State Key Laboratory for PV Science and Technology (SKL) at Trina Solar Ltd. in Changzhou, China. He pursues his non-commercial and academic activities with the Global Photovoltaic Simulation Group, Geneva, Switzerland.

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Area 5: David S. Ginger, University of Washington

Probing Nanoscale Heterogeneity in Thin Film PV: Perovskites to Polymers

David S. Ginger is the Alvin L. and Verla R. Kwiram Professor in Chemistry, a Washington Research Foundation Distinguished Scholar in Clean Energy, an Adjunct Prof. of Physics, and serves as the Chief Scientist of the UW Clean Energy Institute. He is known for his work on the optoelectronic and photonic properties of nanostructured materials, and as a pioneer in the application of new scanning probe microscopy methods. He has been recognized with the Burton Medal of the Microscopy Society of America, fellowship in the AAAS, as a Research Corporation Scialog Fellow and Cottrell Scholar, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellow, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, and as a Finalist for the Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists. He received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the ACS Unilever Award in Colloid and Surfactant Science, and participated in the 2012-2013 class of the Defense Science Study Group. He is an Associate Editor for ACS Chemical Reviews. Prof. Ginger holds double B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Physics from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Cambridge, U.K, where he studied as a Marshall Scholar and NSF Graduate Fellow. He was an NIH and DuPont Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern prior to joining UW in 2003.

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Area 6: Michael McGehee, Stanford University

Making Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells Efficient and Stable Enough to be a Gamechanger

Michael D. McGehee is a Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department and a Senior Fellow of the Precourt Institute for Energy. His research interests are developing new materials for smart windows and solar cells. He has taught courses on nanotechnology, nanocharacterization, organic semiconductors, polymer science and solar cells. He received his undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University and his PhD degree in Materials Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he did research on polymer lasers in the lab of Nobel Laureate Alan Heeger. He won the 2007 Materials Research Society Outstanding Young Investigator Award. He is a cofounder of Iris PV and his former students have started more than ten companies.

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Area 7: Christophe Allaud, Airbus OneWeb Satellites

Low Cost Applied to Large Space Constellations

Christophe Allaud is currently a manager for Airbus OneWeb Satellites Electronics Design to Cost & Technology. He is responsible of all One Web satellite electronics development (platform & payload units) with the aim to reduce the cost. He is also responsible for new technologies development and assessment of non-space technologies with regards to the Oneweb mission specifications. Prior to joining Airbus, he was a consultant for both Matra Marconi Space and Alcatel Space Industries. His background and expertise span power electronics, array & battery design, RF devices and payload management.

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Area 8: Christophe Ballif, EPFL and CSEM, Switzerland

Novel designs and materials for durable PV modules: applications on the ground, in cities and in the air

Christophe Ballif received his Ph.D. degree in physics in 1998 in Lausanne, Switzerland. After Stays at NREL, Fraunhofer ISE and EMPA, he became in 2004 Full Professor with the Institute of microengineering, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, directing the Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory. In 2009, the Institute became part of EPFL. Since 2013, he has also been the Director of the PV-Center within CSEM, Neuchâtel, an RTO specialized in industrial research and technology transfer. His research interests include materials for PV, high-efficiency c-Si solar cells and silicon heterojunction cells, multi-junction solar cells, module technology, BIPV, and Energy systems. Christophe Ballif is the laureate of the 2016 Becquerel Prize.

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Area 9: T. John Trout, DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions

PV module durability - connecting field results, accelerated testing, and materials

John is the R&D Manager for PV Reliability for DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions, leading the global program in PV Reliability that includes module and material accelerated testing, evaluation of modules from fields around the world, and the development of codes and standards. DuPont’s Photovoltaic Solutions team spans the globe with laboratories in the US, China, and Japan and with additional personnel in Europe and India. They have been leading an effort to understand field degradation mechanisms, share this information through publications and presentation and drive sensible standards through participation with IEC TC82 WG2, UL, ANSI, and PVQAT. John has worked in Photovoltaics for 8 years and has worked for DuPont for 31 years. Prior to PV, John worked in a number of new business ventures and helped start and launch two new businesses for DuPont. His background includes R&D, and Sales and Marketing. John holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and BS in Chemistry from Davidson College.

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Area 10: Tom Bialek, San Diego Gas & Electric Co.

The Role of Power Electronics in Mitigating Intermittent Renewables

Tom received a Bachelor and Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manitoba in 1982 and 1986 respectively. He also obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University in 2005. He is currently employed by San Diego Gas & Electric Company ("SDG&E") as a Chief Engineer. His present responsibilities involve technology strategy and policy for transmission and distribution issues including equipment, operations, planning, distributed generation and development of new technologies. He was also the Principal Investigator on DOE and CEC funded Micro Grid projects. He is a frequently requested external speaker and DOE R&D peer reviewer. Tom was also recognized by Greentech Media in its inaugural 100 Top Movers and Shakers in Smart Grid. In 2009 Tom was recognized with SDG&E’s Cornerstone award and in 2010 received the Outstanding Engineer award from the San Diego County Engineering Council.

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Area 11 Stephen Steffel, Pepco Holdings, Inc.

Distribution Grid Innovation being Driven by PV Solar Integration

Stephen Steffel is the Manager of Distributed Energy Resources Planning and Analytics at Pepco Holdings, Inc. Pepco Holdings (PHI), a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, is one of the largest energy delivery companies in the Mid-Atlantic region, serving more than 2 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey. He received his MBA from the University of Baltimore and BS in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University.

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Area 12 Becca Jones-Albertus, US Department of Energy

Scaling Up Solar Deployment

Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus is the Acting Deputy Director for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office and SunShot Initiative, which are working to accelerate the market competitiveness of solar energy by targeting LCOE reductions and increased solar deployment. Dr. Jones-Albertus has spent her career advancing photovoltaic materials and devices, from fundamental research and development to technology transfer into manufacturing. Prior to joining the Department of Energy, Dr. Jones-Albertus was the Characterization and Design Manager at Solar Junction, where she led efforts developing the company’s two-time world record solar cells and then transferring that technology to a high volume manufacturing toolset. She has eight patents and more than 30 technical publications. Dr. Jones-Albertus graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a B.S. in electrical engineering, and also holds a M.S. and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

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