PV Expert Geoffrey S. Kinsey Joins Fraunhofer CSE as Director of Photovoltaic Technologies

BOSTON, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE), an applied contract R&D center located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, today announced that it had hired concentration photovoltaics (CPV) expert Geoffrey S. Kinsey, Ph.D. to serve as the new Director of its Photovoltaic Technologies Group.

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Dr. Kinsey previously served as Senior Director of Research and Development at Amonix, Inc., in Seal Beach, CA, where he led a team optimizing operation of Amonix solar power generators using III-V multijunction cells. Recently, this group became the first to demonstrate a module efficiency rating of 33% in outdoor operating conditions. Prior to this position, he was the Technical Lead for CPV Products at Boeing-Spectrolab, where he spent seven years in research and development of high-efficiency multijunction cells for both space and terrestrial applications. He received his B.S. from Yale University in 1992 and his Ph.D. in solid-state electronics from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001. He has one patent issued and five pending, and over seventy publications in the optoelectronics field, including a chapter in the recent 2nd edition of Solar Cells and Their Applications.

At Fraunhofer CSE, Dr. Kinsey will oversee development of strategy for the photovoltaic research group, and the execution of research plans and contracts, as well as business development. His responsibility includes the Center's indoor PV module fabrication and testing laboratory in Cambridge, MA and outdoor PV test facilities in Revere, MA and Albuquerque, NM.

Since 2008, Fraunhofer CSE has provided contract research to a wide variety of clients, ranging from university start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Together with Europe's leading research laboratory for solar energy, the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg, Germany, CSE is also a stakeholder in the CFV Solar Test Laboratory, a state-of-the-art solar testing and certification facility located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"Dr. Kinsey is an invaluable addition to a team that has already made significant industry impact over the past four years," noted Dr. Christian Hoepfner, Fraunhofer CSE's Scientific Director. "His extensive industry background is very complementary to our existing core expertise in flat plate PV modules and materials technology, and strengthens the expertise and services we can offer to PV industry clients."

About the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems:

Fraunhofer USA, Inc., headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan is a non-profit research organization, which operates labs in sustainable energy, biotechnology, computer security, manufacturing innovation, laser technology, and industrial coatings.  Fraunhofer USA's research centers collaborate with major research universities in the United States, as well as institutes in Germany, to bring innovative technologies to the marketplace.  www.fraunhofer.org                       

The Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems was founded in 2008, dedicated to the commercialization of clean energy technologies.  CSE engages in collaborative R&D with private companies, government, and academic institutions, performing research that benefits firms, industries, and society. Fraunhofer CSE is headquartered in Massachusetts.

For more information on Fraunhofer CSE, visit http://cse.fraunhofer.org.           

Contact: Martin Sachs, 617-415-3895, [email protected]

SOURCE Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems