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For printable image click here. Monica Oliphant, president of the International Solar Energy Society, with Karl Böer, in whose honor the highly respected international honor is named. UD photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

Photovoltaic power generation grew by 73 percent between 2007-08, making it the fastest growing source of alternative energy, Monica Oliphant, president of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), said upon her arrival in Delaware from Australia to attend the 2009 Karl Böer Solar Energy Medal of Merit ceremony at the University of Delaware on Thursday, May 7.

The 2009 award will be presented to Hermann Scheer, a member of German Parliament, president of EUROSOLAR and chairperson of the World Council for Renewable Energy, at 3 p.m., in Gore Recital Hall of the Roselle Center for the Arts, Orchard Road at Kent Way, on UD's Newark, Del., campus.

If you plan to cover this event, please contact Martin A Mbugua, (302) 831-8749, [mbugua@udel.edu]

Oliphant said there are not many awards for scientists, especially for renewable energy, so the Böer award, which is given by the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), an independent chapter of ISES, is highly respected around the world.

Oliphant, who is also a board member of ISES and a member of the Böer award selection committee, said that Scheer stood out among all the applicants because of his role in developing and promoting the concept of feed-in tariffs, which pays up to three times the normal tariffs for photovoltaic energy that is fed into the grid in many countries.

“Because of that, Germany has moved to the forefront in the penetration of photovoltaic energy,” Oliphant said. “In the city of Freiburg, the penetration of photovoltaic systems is very high. You hardly see any house without a photovoltaic system because it is a good income earner.”

Feed-in tariffs have been accepted in about 70 countries and “it has been the single greatest incentive for the penetration of photovoltaic systems around the world,” Oliphant said.

Oliphant lauded the recent announcement by UD President Patrick Harker that the University would install photovoltaic systems that would eventually generate 6 MW of electricity.

“I think it's a great initiative, It's really something special. It will be the first University in the world to generate such an amount of photovoltaic power, and it will offset quite a lot of carbon emissions,” Oliphant said. “It is also worth noting that a lot of photovoltaic systems, particularly thin film technology was developed at the University of Delaware at the IEC, which was started by Karl Böer.”