The University of Delaware invites nominations for the 2018 Karl W. Böer Solar Energy Medal of Merit, awarded to recognize pioneering work in renewable energy. 

Nominations are due by Feb. 15, 2018, with an application form and other details available at this website.

The Böer Medal is awarded to an individual who has made significant pioneering contributions in solar energy, wind energy or other forms of renewable energy as an alternate source of energy through research, development or economic enterprise, or to an individual who has made extraordinary, valuable and enduring contributions to the field in other ways.

The medal is named in honor of Karl Wolfgang Böer, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics and Solar Energy at UD and founder of the Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC). 

Since its founding in 1972, IEC has been a leader in photovoltaic research. It is the oldest solar cell institution in the world and is a U.S. Department of Energy-designated University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research and Education.

The 2018 nomination period was announced by Michael T. Klein, UD Dan Rich Cahri of executive director of the Karl W. Böer Solar Energy Medal of Merit Trust and UD’s Dan Rich Chair of Energy; and by David Renné, vice chairperson of the award committee and president of the International Solar Energy Society.

The selection committee includes representatives from the International Solar Energy Society, the American Solar Energy Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Physical Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the U.S. Dept. of Energy, a representative of the Böer family, and the executive director of the trust.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was the first recipient of the Böer Medal, presented in 1993, for his success in promoting the development of solar energy technology.

The most recent award, made last year, went to D. Yogi Goswami, professor and director of the Institute of Solar Energy at the Technical University of Madrid, Spain, who invented the intermediate band solar cell, raising efficiency limits from 41 percent to 63 percent.

Previous medal winners

• 2016, D. Yogi Goswami, for his research in reducing the costs and developing efficient, effective storage methods for solar energy, as well as harnessing solar energy as a catalyst to address environmental problems.

• 2015, Antonio Luque, for inventing the intermediate band solar cell, which raises the efficiency limit from 41 percent to 63 percent.

• 2013, Zhores I. Alferov and Viacheslav M. Andreev, for their contributions to the investigation and development of semiconductor device technology and physics, which have led to greater performance and efficiency of solar cells and arrays.

• 2011, Richard M. Swanson, for his innovation in the field of photovoltaics and for his tenure as president of SunPower Corp.

• 2009, Hermann Scheer, for his long-lasting and worldwide commitment to the dissemination of solar energy.

• 2007, Lawrence Kazmerski, for his leadership in the field of solar electricity from its infancy.

• 2005, Yoshihiro Hamakawa, for his significant pioneering contributions to the development of high-efficiency thin-film solar cells and the advancement of solar photovoltaic science and technology as a clean energy source.

• 2003, Martin A. Green, for his innovative research efforts in the development of high performance crystalline silicon solar cell technology.

• 2001, Allen M. Barnett, for his pioneering high-performance, thin-crystalline silicon solar cells, and outstanding continuing service to the solar electric power community.

• 1999, Stanford R. Ovshinsky, for pioneering the science of amorphous semiconductors resulting in the development of low-cost thin-film silicon solar cells.

• 1997, Adolf Goetzberger, for his leadership in the international solar energy community, his research accomplishments and for founding the eminent Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.

• 1995, David E. Carlson, for the discovery and commercial development of thin film amorphous silicon cells for converting sunlight to electrical energy.

• 1993, President Jimmy Carter, the one individual who, more than anyone else, spurred development and focused world attention on the relatively unknown technology for safe and environmentally sound energy production from the sun.