Dr. Lars Podlowski joined the Board of Directors of the Photovoltaik-Institut Berlin (PI Berlin) on 1 March 2017. In his new role, the PI Berlin's co-founder and previous partner will expand its offerings to include services for module manufacturers. PI Berlin has been conducting tests and inspections to ensure the high quality of modules for solar power plants for more than ten years - now Podlowski is developing a portfolio of technical and business services to support established module manufacturers with research and development and to offer newcomers around the globe a jump start in setting up their own module production.

New opportunities in decentralised markets

"Alongside the tendency for leading module manufacturers to build ever larger central factories, a parallel global trend has emerged in recent years toward establishing regional production facilities for solar modules. In the future, PI Berlin will offer services for manufacturers - many of whom are lateral entrants to the solar industry - to facilitate their entry onto the market", reports Lars Podlowski. "In principle, we can offer technical support in everything from factory planning to product design to the implementation of quality management systems. But we can also support the development of business models or human resources planning", says Podlowski.

As another new business area - and not just for industry newcomers - PI Berlin will begin offering intensive tests of raw materials to help module manufacturers optimise their product design. "By combining our expertise in PV modules with the knowledge that PI Berlin has gained through the analysis of PV power plants, we can often provide manufacturers with concrete suggestions on how to improve the performance and reliability of their products", Podlowski continues.

Solar industry pioneer

Lars Podlowski has worked in the German solar industry for more than 20 years. From 2004 to 2014, he served as CTO at Solon, and most recently he was responsible for module design and manufacturing technology for the Tetrasun high-efficiency product line at First Solar.  "As a technology manager, I have many years of experience with all aspects of solar module design and production, and have always worked at the interface between the company and its customers. I now want to draw on this experience to strengthen the range of services offered by PI Berlin", comments Podlowski on his new position. Dr. Paul Grunow, Dr. Stefan Krauter and Sven Lehmann also remain on the Board of Directors.

Photovoltaik-Institut Berlin | www.pi-berlin.com/en/