Recorded at the Tandem PV Workshop in Berlin, this week’s episode explores one of the most exciting frontiers in solar technology: perovskite-based tandem photovoltaics. Featuring two leading researchers from Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB), the conversations dive into why perovskites could unlock the next major step forward in solar efficiency – and what still needs to happen before the technology reaches mass commercialization.
In the first interview, we’re joined by Professor Rutger Schlatmann, Head of the Solar Energy Division at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, to unpack why silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells are attracting so much attention from researchers and industry. Rutger explains how conventional silicon technology is approaching its physical efficiency limits, and why adding a perovskite layer on top of silicon offers a pathway to significantly higher performance.
In the second half of the episode, we speak with Angelika Harter, Group Lead Industrial-like Silicon Perovskite Tandem Baseline at HZB, about the transition from record-breaking laboratory results toward commercially viable solar products. Angelika shares insights from the Tandem PV Workshop, where the industry’s focus is shifting from simply achieving higher efficiencies toward improving stability, scalability, and reproducibility.
We also explore new opportunities for perovskite technologies beyond conventional solar modules – including flexible PV, indoor applications, and space technologies – and why the next five years could prove critical for bringing the first generation of commercial perovskite products to market.
About The smarter E Podcast
The smarter E podcast is all about the current trends and developments in a renewable, decentralized and digital energy industry. Our host welcomes and interviews personalities who shape our industry and drive developments forward. A new episode is published bi-weekly on Thursdays.
Prof. Dr. Rutger Schlatmann, Founding Director of PVcomB at HZB since 2008 and Speaker of the Solar Energy Division at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, holds an MSc in Physics from the University of Groningen and a Ph.D. from AMOLF.
He has worked as a research scientist and project leader at Akzo Nobel and as R&D manager for Helianthos, developing flexible solar cells. He has expertise in Si-heterojunction, CIGS PV technology, and perovskite-based multijunction solar cells.
Angelika Harter, Group Leader for Silicon/Perovskite Tandem Baseline development at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, specializes in high-efficiency tandem photovoltaic technologies and industrial solar cell manufacturing.
She has expertise in silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells, silicon/perovskite tandem integration, wet-chemical processing, PECVD, transparent conductive oxides (TCOs), and thin-film device and material characterization, with a focus on scalable processes for next-generation solar technologies.
