Millennium Distinction Awards to Finnish developers of solar energy
For the fourth time, Millennium Distinction Awards are presented to Finnish researchers and growth companies for outstanding technological achievement in the field of the most recent Millennium Technology Prize. Finnish experts in the rapidly growing solar energy sector will receive awards tonight.
Millennium Prize Winner Michael Grätzel with 2010 MY Camper Adina Nedelcu. Photo: Matti Rajala.
Dye-sensitized solar cells aka Grätzel cells, third-generation solar cell technology, are now entering the market. This new generation of solar cells is expected to bring down the price of solar energy significantly.
Tonight, The 2010 Millennium Technology Prize winner Professor Michael Grätzel, the inventor of Grätzel cells, will be presenting the Millennium Distinction Awards to two Finnish researchers and three companies operating in the solar energy sector.
Professor Jouko Korppi-Tommola from the University of Jyväskylä and Professor Helge Lemmetyinen from Tampere University of Technology will be recognised for their pioneering development work in solar power.
Korppi-Tommola’s research group is focusing on the electrical phenomena occurring in Grätzel cells and photosynthesis. Lemmetyinen’s group is concentrating on studying the functioning of internal and external photovoltaic phenomena in molecular films fabricated from organic compounds, and on applying the results in the manufacture of lightweight, flexible solar cells.
“2010 was a record-breaking year for solar energy, proving that its significance in future energy production has finally been understood,” says Professor Lemmetyinen.
“Receiving a Millennium Distinction Award is great recognition for my work and the work of every member of the research group.”
Companies receiving awards are Vacon Oyj, with their inverters that convert the direct current produced by solar panels into alternating current; Beneq Oy, the company’s technology is used to manufacture thin-film coatings used in next-generation solar cells, and Naps Systems, a Finnish pioneer in the solar energy sector. During the past 30 years, Naps Systems has supplied more than 200,000 solar power systems to over 140 countries.
Ainomaija Haarla, President and CEO of Technology Academy Finland, is pleased that a huge range of expertise in the field of the Millennium Technology Prize Winner can currently be found in Finland.
“The selection committee analysed information on both researchers and companies from all over Finland, and I was happy to discover that there were so many good candidates. The winners represent a true cross-section of expertise in Finland’s solar energy sector.”
Read the whole article from Technology Academy Finland’s website.
