- Fraunhofer ISE has announced the death of its Founder Prof Adolf Goetzberger
- He set up the institute in 1981 as a spin-off of a Fraunhofer IAF working group for solar energy systems
- Goetzberger was a firm believer in the potential of solar power as an energy source for the world in the future
- Fraunhofer ISE says he developed the idea of agrivoltaics back in 1981 with Armin Zastrow
Founder of one of the most respected European solar energy research centers today, Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Fraunhofer ISE), Prof Adolf Goetzberger who set up the institute in 1981 and headed it till his retirement in 1993, also credited with developing the idea of agrivoltaics, is no more.
A PhD from the University of Munich, Goetzberger became the director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics (Fraunhofer IAF). In 1981, he launched Fraunhofer ISE as a spin-off of a Fraunhofer IAF working group for solar energy systems ‘in the face of political resistance’.
In his biography, he explained that he became interested in solar energy at a time when there was no talk of it being considered as a potential energy source for the world, after going through a Club of Rome study on the Limits to Growth.
“It seemed obvious to me that, since fossil fuel resources are finite, an inexhaustible source of energy, like the sun, could not be disregarded,” Goetzberger wrote.
Fraunhofer ISE says Goetzberger developed the idea of agrivoltaics in 1981 with Armin Zastrow which is now being implemented across geographies. Recipient of several awards including the European Inventor Award by the European Patent Office, Goetzberger also headed the German Society for Solar Energy (DGS) from 1993 to 1997 as its president.
Fraunhofer ISE team stated, “In him, the photovoltaics industry loses an esteemed scientist and visionary mastermind. And we lose in him a tireless provider of ideas and a good friend, who accompanied the Institute with lively interest into his old age.’
He breathed his last on February 24, 2023 at the age of 94. Fraunhofer ISE has set up an online condolence book on its website for people to share their memories and thoughts for Prof Goetzberger.
TaiyangNews wishes the best to Prof Goetzberger’s grieving family and friends.
