iL-CURRENT
September 10, 2025
Jens A. Hauch from Solar TAP:
"Industry network established"
Dr. Jens A. Hauch, PhD physicist and Head of the High-Throughput Photovoltaics Research Unit at the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg (FZ Jülich), is the Solar TAP Manager driving a new era of photovoltaics (PV). Under his leadership, Solar TAP combines innovative research with industry transfer and drives the use of printable PV technologies for applications such as Agri-PV, BIPV, mobility and IoT. Hauch emphasizes: "We have established an industry network that now includes over 50 companies" - making Solar TAP a role model for future technology platforms.
On October 15, he will present his vision for accelerating the market maturity of flexible PV technologies at the CLEAN TECH INNOVATION DAY & SOLAR TAP INDUSTRY DAY 2025 in Heidelberg and will also be on the lookout for partners.
In the role of co-organizer on 15 October: Dr. Jens A. Hauch. He has been the manager of Solar TAP, the Helmholtz Association's innovation platform, for seven years. Picture: Solar TAP
Five questions for ... Jens A. Hauch
Mr. Hauch, what does the innovation platform Solar TAP, especially in connection with the HelmholtzAssociation, so unique?
Jens A. Hauch: In the Helmholtz Association, there are three centers - KIT, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and Forschungszentrum Jülich - that are world leaders in researching next-generation photovoltaic technologies. They have been working closely together for years in a joint research program - from basic research to application-oriented developments. With Solar TAP, these centers are now also joining forces in technology transfer in order to bring new technologies into application more quickly. To this end, we have built up an industrial network of over 50 companies with whom we regularly exchange ideas and work together quickly and easily in flexible transfer projects.
You are physicists, manage the research unit "High Throughput Processes in in photovoltaics" and are at the same time managers at Solar TAP. How can from from your view the sectors photovoltaics and hydrogen their marketability targeted further develop?
Hauch: Innovation remains the key to new applications. At the same time, technologies need to scale in order to become more cost-effective - that is a key challenge. In traditional photovoltaics, you can see this with silicon modules: Costs have fallen dramatically thanks to enormous scaling. We also need to achieve this effect with new technologies. Politicians can provide support here by creating targeted framework conditions for the best technologies and thus accelerating their market launch.
The technology transfer plays a central role in in energy research. Which levers do you see do you see, to the use innovative materials for sustainable PVtechnologies further to optimize?
Hauch: Materials research is crucial here. Every successful application starts with the right material for the respective purpose. Thanks to rapid advances in robotics and the targeted use of artificial intelligence, we can now identify and optimize new materials much faster. Equally important is the close cooperation with industry to clearly define requirements and make materials ready for the market quickly. This is why we focus on very early technology transfer in Solar TAP - along the entire value chain.
Which opportunities open up open up for Solar TAP through targeted cooperations - and how flows flows expertise from from the industry concrete in your innovation platform into your innovation platform?
Hauch: Unsere Zentren verfügen über hoch spezialisierte Forschungsinfrastrukturen, die gezielt auf die Entwicklung der nächsten Photovoltaik‒Generationen ausgerichtet sind. In Solar TAP stehen wir im intensiven Austausch mit der Industrie und haben gemeinsam eine Roadmap für zentrale Anwendungsfelder erarbeitet. Daraus ergeben sich klare Anforderungen an Technik und Prozesse – ebenso wie ein präzises Bild der größten Herausforderungen. In gezielten Kooperationen nutzen wir unsere Infrastrukturen, um gemeinsam mit Unternehmen Lösungen f ür diese Herausforderungen zu entwickeln.
What do you expect you yourself personally - and what do you hope you strategically strategically - from the CLEAN TECH INNOVATION DAY & SOLAR TAP INDUSTRY DAY 2025 in Heidelberg?
Hauch: New technologies need strong partners who share our vision. With the Solar TAP network, we are bringing together companies along the entire value chain to work on precisely this: developing the next terawatt generation of photovoltaics - with industrial production in Europe. To achieve this, we need even more partners with the right expertise. At the CLEAN TECH INNOVATION DAY & SOLAR TAP INDUSTRY DAY 2025, we want to find precisely these new partners.
Jens A. Hauch on the Solar TAP network: "New technologies need strong partners who share our vision." Picture: Solar TAP
About the person
Dr. Jens A. Hauch has headed the High-Throughput Processes in Photovoltaics department at the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg (FZ Jülich) and the Solar TAP innovation platform since 2018. He is also Chairman of the Board of the ENERGIEregion Nürnberg e.V. association.
His previous professional positions include Head of Renewable Energies at ZAE Bayern, Managing Director of Energie Campus Nürnberg, Managing Director of Konarka Technologies GmbH and Senior Scientist at Siemens Corporate Technology. He holds a doctorate in experimental physics from the University of Texas at Austin.
About Solar TAP
Solar TAP is an innovation platform of the Helmholtz Association for accelerating the technology transfer of novel photovoltaic solutions. With a focus on flexible, integrable solar technologies (e.g. agricultural, building, Internet of Things and mobility PV), Solar TAP provides companies in the industry network of the same name with uncomplicated access to excellent research, pilot systems and tried-and-tested cooperation models - quickly, flexibly and with a focus on industry.
Venue and registration
Heidelberg Congress Center (HCC)
October 15 , 2025 - all day
Register now register:
The number of participants is limited - secure your ticket now via our registration tool:
Further Further information:
On our website you will find regular updates on the program, the speakers and the planned session content.
So feel free to drop by regularly!
We look forward to your participation - and to an inspiring day full of ideas, impulses and innovations in the exciting clean tech sector!
Joachim Klaehn
Head of Communications
This website is not part of the Facebook website or Facebook Inc. Furthermore, this website is in no way endorsed by Facebook. Facebook is a brand of Facebook, Inc. We use Google remarketing pixels/cookies on this website to re-communicate with visitors to our website and ensure that we can reach them with relevant messages and information in the future. Google places our ads on third party websites on the internet to communicate our message and reach the right people who have shown interest in our information in the past.