You have developed innovative tools like the portable LED flasher for PV module power measurement in the field and new foldable mounting systems for PV modules. Could you share more about your background and the process behind developing these technologies? 

A.Photovoltaic modules are designed to last for three decades, ensuring minimal performance loss towards the end of their lifespan. We have collaborated with industry partners to develop outdoor mobile, low-cost artificial light sources with thousands of LEDs, making it more economical to measure electrical power without dismantling the modules for indoor laboratory testing. 

We have also focused on reducing the cost of solar power plants that are built a few metres above car parks or sewage treatment plants, to provide additional benefits without taking up space. To this end, we have developed foldable solar module mounting systems that automatically retract into a protective box, which have already been installed more than a dozen times in Switzerland. Similar mounting systems, which constitute the largest proportion of rooftop solar system costs, are now being developed to install solar modules above the snow in the Alps. 

As a member of the advisory board for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and an expert with Electrosuisse, and the head of the Bachelor’s degree course in Energy and Environmental Engineering, what role could future engineers play in the advancing of renewable energy technologies in Europe? What are the key skills that should be learnt?
Hardly any of the UN’s many sustainability goals can be achieved without a renewable energy base. It is insufficient for society to merely state its desires; experts must globally develop a new, CO2-free technological energy landscape. 

In addition to photovoltaics, this includes wind power, heat pumps, district heating networks, thermal and electrical storage, decentralised electricity grids, e-mobility and more public transport. However, technology alone is not enough if it is not economically viable, and this is particularly true for the hydrogen sector. Fortunately, this has already been achieved for many of the forms of renewable energy generation mentioned above.   

Innovation and entrepreneurship are key parts of EELISA’s vision. Given your experience in promoting start-ups focused on novel photovoltaic system approaches, what emerging technologies do you believe will have the most significant impact on the future of renewable energy? 

It starts with a good idea that has the potential to be profitable. However, not every innovation possesses this potential. If you have a team that works well together but lacks fundamental knowledge of the business environment, challenges can arise. But if funding can be secured and the first prototypes made, there is great satisfaction in having created something new.

Your work spans both academic research and the promotion of start-ups in the renewable energy sector. How do you balance these roles, and what advice would you give to young researchers and entrepreneurs looking to commercialize their innovations? 

In addition to novelty and potential profitability, establishing contact with the expert community from the outset is crucial. Conferences play a particularly important role in this regard, especially those attended by both scientists and industry representatives. Currently, I am in Vienna for a week; last year, the EUPVSEC was held in Lisbon. The network of people you can seek advice from or start projects with grows every year, and company representatives are also present. This keeps you alert to new trends in the field.

I have never regretted staying at the university, as it has allowed me to pursue this quest for innovation with students working on their theses and with the long-standing research team at the Energy Institute of the IEFE, the ZHAW School of Engineering.