About Us

At the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin (ISFH), we are working on innovative components for the photovoltaic as well as solar thermal utilization of solar energy. The focus is on physical understanding and generalizable technological findings as well as the development of cost-effective processes. The components manufactured at ISFH are tested in energy systems, as only their behavior within a system decides whether a development is successful. The system itself is in this an extremely important part of research work.

We support the utilization of solar energy in collaboration with our partners from industry and our students through research and innovations.

ISFH is a research institute of the state of Lower Saxony and a non-profit limited liability company. We are an associated research institute of the “Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover” and also cooperate with other universities and universities of applied sciences in Lower Saxony as well as other federal states. The director of ISFH is Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Rolf Brendel, who is also a university professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the Leibniz Universität Hannover. Professor Brendel is the head of the department Solar Energy at the Institute of Solid State Physics.

ISFH is made up of the “Photovoltaics” and “Solar systems” departments as well as the independent test center “ISFH CalTeC”.

Photovoltaic research includes the basic study of material properties as well as the development of processes and equipment for manufacturing solar cells. The main interest is the development of new silicon solar cells with efficiencies of more than 24 %, high-efficiency tandem solar cells and the related PV module technology. Above all, the aim is to reduce production costs for solar cells and PV modules.

The main focus of the Solar systems department is the integrated total energy supply with heat and electricity in local units like buildings and urban settlements. The objective is a cost-efficient and CO₂-reduced energy supply in high quality systems. For this purpose ISFH develops, evaluates and optimizes amongst others new solar thermal collectors, heat pumps, functional coatings and heat storage concepts as well as new applications and combinations of energy systems.

ISFH CalTeC (Calibration and Test Center) is offering independent and accredited calibration of silicon solar cells as well as assessment of solar absorber coatings, spectroradiometers, and solar thermal systems as well as components.

The central services support the entire infrastructure of the institute. They consist of an administrative department, to which the secretariat, accounting, legal and human resources departments are assigned, and the corporate development department, which comprises the technical areas of facility management, mechanical workshop and IT as well as public relations. The administrative department is headed by Dipl.-Oec. Wolfgang Gaßdorf, who is also Deputy Director of the Institute. Dr. Bianca Lim is in charge of corporate development.

The ISFH is a member of the Zuse Association, a technology- and industry-open association of independent industrial research institutions. Furthermore, the Institute is a member of the Renewable Energy Research Association (FVEE), an association of German non-university research institutes coordinating renewable energy research activities at a national level. Moreover the institute is a member of the Laboratory for Nano and Quantum Engineering (LNQE), the Leibniz Research Center Energy 2050 (LiFE 2050) and supports the work of the Energy Research Center of Lower Saxony (efzn).