+ 16.09.2010 + Other accolades awarded to junior scientist and deceased U.S. solar pioneer.

SolarWorld AG bestowed the 2010 SolarWorld Einstein Award upon the Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Grameen Bank Prof. Muhammad Yunus. The professor of economics from Bangladesh is thus being honored for his break-through concept of micro-credits for the poor, with the help of which millions of people worldwide managed the jump from poverty to self-sufficiency.

“Grameen has given me an unshakeable faith in human creativity and the firm belief that human beings are not born to suffer the misery of hunger and poverty,” declared Prof. Muhammad Yunus in his ceremonial address. Micro-credits have so far made possible among many other things the installation of more than 400,000 small solar power systems that ensure the energy supply to people in rural regions of Bangladesh that are far from the national grid.

“A key against poverty is decentrally available energy. With the help of the micro-credits families can afford small solar power systems to secure their incomes. Prof. Muhammad Yunus has shown how with an idea and a great deal of courage people are given a future,” said Dr.-Ing. E. h. Frank Asbeck, chairman and CEO of SolarWorld AG, during the festive award ceremony on the occasion of the 25th European Photovoltaic Conference, September 6, in Valencia, Spain. Since 2005, the group has been presenting this prestigious award of the solar industry to personalities who have acquired merits in photovoltaic technology. Since 2006, the group has additionally presented the SolarWorld Junior Einstein Award to young scientists in solar technology.

SolarWorld Junior Einstein Award goes to Fraunhofer junior scientist

The prize winner of SolarWorld Junior Einstein Award 2010 is young scientist Dr. Christian Reimann of Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Building Element Technology (IISB) in Erlangen. In his thesis, the mineralogist deals with the formation of silicon crystals and the prevention of impurities in silicon melt. This can increase the degree of efficiency of solar cells and thus reduce the costs for solar power. The process developed by Reimann has been patented in the meantime.

Honorary SolarWorld Einstein Award for Walt Ratterman

For his solar commitment the group posthumously bestowed an Honorary SolarWorld Einstein Award upon Walt Ratterman, thus honoring in a very special way the solar pioneer so tragically killed in the disastrous earthquake in Haiti in January. As a co-founder of the U.S. organization SunEnergy Power, he passionately dedicated himself to spadework in the poorest countries of the world. Ratterman was a cooperation partner in the Solar2World program run by SolarWorld AG and was responsible among other things for the solar electrification of hospitals in Haiti. The award was personally received by his family.

SolarWorld Einstein-Award 2010