Unit Solar Energy innovative in Europe

The ECN unit Solar Energy has every reason to celebrate: the unit has been nominated for a European innovation prize, the winner of which will be announced on December 9.

The innovation prize is presented by EARTO,  the trade association for Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) in Europe, of which ECN is a member. EARTO represents 350 European knowledge institutions. Earlier this year Paul de Jong of the unit Solar Energy responded to EARTO’s call to compete for the annual innovation prize. He believed to stand a fair chance to win with his group’s world record winning  improvements on the multicrystalline silicon solar panel. For a while, Brussels, home to EARTO, remained silent. That is until the congratulatory letter announcing that ECN (Netherlands), CEA ( France) and TNO (Netherlands) have been nominated by the EARTO jury for the 2009 Innovation Prize recently landed on Petten’s doormat.

The winner will be announced at a special ceremony at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels on December 9. EARTO emphasises that the prize will be awarded to the umbrella organisation the prize-winning researcher works for. So, although Paul de Jong and the unit Solar Energy carried out the actual work, the prize will go to ECN as a whole. Provided of course ECN wins.

Contact
Paul de Jong
ECN Solar Energy
Tel.: 022 456 4731
E-mail: Paul de Jong  (p.dejong@remove-this-part-ecn.nl)

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