Matthew Hull

As a Graduate Research Assistant, my first task was to support the sale of a software license with the model from my thesis to an industry partner. For a project developing a 5GW PV module factory, I worked with the engineers designing the Ingot to Module process to compile a list of local suppliers to provide the production materials. My biggest challenge was developing a tool in Excel for researchers to calculate the costs of operating equipment for their projects in the Fraunhofer ISE labs.

My thesis titled "Techno-economic analysis of III-V on Si Tandem Solar Cell Production" was completed alongside the EU Sitasol Project. I teamed up with researchers and industry professionals from across Europe to understand their innovative production processes from which I modeled the Cost of Ownership for manufacturing a tandem solar cell. To determine the potential for applications, the cost per wattpeak results were integrated into the LCOE for PV systems with high area proportional BOS costs.

This internship on the Team Techno-Economic and Ecological Analyses focused on data gathering and research related to highly efficient tandem solar cells that would be needed to perform a techno-economic assessment. Research topics included the market applications for high efficiency PV devices, Silicon and III-V solar cell manufacturing processes, and SEMI standards for conducting a techno-economic assessment.