Solar Energy Fundamentals

Prof. Dr. Arno Smets is a Professor of Solar Energy and Director of Extension School Education at Delft University of Technology. His research focuses on developing technologies to convert solar energy into electricity and artificial fuels, with a current emphasis on lightweight and flexible thin-film silicon PV technologies in collaboration with HyET Solar.

Thierry de Vrijer has established himself as a leading researcher in solar energy and photovoltaic technology at Delft University of Technology. After completing his BSc in Technology, Policy and Management and MSc in Sustainable Energy Technologies at TU Delft, he played a pivotal role in developing the university's first MicroMasters program in Solar Energy Engineering. His doctoral research, completed in 2022 under Professor Arno Smets' supervision, focused on developing high-voltage multijunction photovoltaic devices for solar-to-fuel applications, with particular emphasis on low bandgap group-IV alloys based on hydrogenated germanium(tin). His academic contributions include 13 first-author publications in prestigious peer-reviewed journals, demonstrating his expertise in photovoltaic materials and devices. Since September 2021, he has continued as a postdoctoral researcher at TU Delft, collaborating with HyET Solar on developing high-efficiency thin-film silicon devices on flexible foils. His research framework encompasses the development of wireless silicon-based monolithically integrated 2-terminal multijunction PV devices, which can be utilized in autonomous solar-to-fuel synthesis systems and other innovative applications where the multijunction solar cell serves multiple functions beyond traditional photovoltaic generation.