UK based perovskite solar PV technology company Oxford PV said its long term CEO Frank Averdung has hung his boots, passing on the responsibility of leading the organization to a board member David Ward.
Averdung served as the CEO of Oxford PV for 7.5 years and under his leadership it progressed from an R&D organization to a 'technology leader on the cusp of industrial production and commercialization'. It was under Averdung that Oxford PV acquired its Brandenburg, Germany factory for a 100 MW perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cell manufacturing line. Now he has retired.
His successor Ward has been working with Oxford PV on its board since 2011 and was previously the CEO of US based materials company Adaptive Surface Technologies.
"In the time that we have known him, David has shown a strategic acumen with a pragmatic, action-oriented attitude. He is a seasoned leader and is the right person to steer our company through commercialization, serial production, and well into our years of growth ahead," said Chairman of the Board at Oxford PV, Christian Langen.
A global pioneer and global leader in the development of perovskite-silicon tandem technology, Oxford PV reported 29.52% power conversion efficiency for its perovskite solar cell in December 2020 (see Oxford PV Claims 29.52% Perovskite Solar Cell Efficiency). On July 23, 2021, Oxford PV announced having completed the construction of its manufacturing facility in Germany's Brandenburg an der Havel where it will start first volume manufacturing line of its perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells with an annual capacity of 100 MW. At the time it said that complete ramp up is expected to start in 2022. On the website it now says, 'our line will commence production in 2023.'
In the meantime, several solar stakeholders have jumped on the perovskite / perovskite-silicon tandem cell train. The world record is currently being held by German research center Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB), which announced in Dec. 2022 a new world record power conversion efficiency for perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell (see HZB Reports 32.5% Efficiency For Tandem Solar Cells) And in mid- March, a European consortium of Dutch and German companies led by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) said it is soon to bring to the market a new tandem solar module of monolithic perovskite-silicon solar cells calling it a step in bringing PV production back to Europe, rebuilding a competitive supply chain within the continent, and drive carbon reduction through to 2030 (see New Tandem Solar Module Developed By European Partners)