Becquerel Prize for Outstanding Merits in Photovoltaics

Becquerel Prize 2025

Congratulations to Walburga Hemetsberger, winner of the 2025 Alexander Edmond Becquerel Prize




Walburga Hemetsberger receives this prestigious award for being one of the most important ambassadors for solar energy in Europe.
With a solid academic foundation in law as well as social and economic sciences from the University of Innsbruck/Austria, she has dedicated her professional career to working as a representative for various sectors, including an internship at the European Commission, in Brussels. Since 2019, she has held the position of CEO at SolarPower Europe and has successfully advocated for the deployment of solar energy across the continent, contributing to the adoption of the Solar Energy Strategy by the European Commission and the EU Solar Standard.
Ms. Hemetsberger is widely recognised for her tireless efforts in integrating solar photovoltaics into Europe’s broader energy transition and climate change strategies. With remarkable energy and enthusiasm, she has played a pivotal role in shaping EU solar policy during a critical period for the PV industry.
In addition to her policy leadership, she has been a strong advocate of the Women in PV initiative, which aims to promote and inspire female leadership in the solar sector and enhance gender diversity in the energy transition. Her influence on innovation and research initiatives, such as the Partnership for Photovoltaics, underscores her commitment to the future of renewable energy. Walburga Hemetsberger is truly an inspiring leader in this vital field.

On behalf of the Becquerel Prize Committee, we cordially congratulate Walburga Hemetsberger and thank her for her enthusiastic commitment to photovoltaics.

Prof. Dr Stefan Glunz, Chair Becquerel Committee.

The official prize ceremony will take place during the opening session of the 42nd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, the EU PVSEC 2025 which will take place from 22 – 26th of September 2025 in Bilbao, Spain.
The Laudation speech will be given by Prof. Dr. Rutger Schlatmann from Helmholtz Centre Berlin.


Becquerel Prize Diploma


About the Alexandre Edmond Becquerel Prize

The Alexandre Edmond Becquerel Prize was established in 1989 by the European Commission at the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Becquerel’s classical experiment in which he discovered the photovoltaic effect. Its purpose is to honour scientific, technical or managerial merit in the development of photovoltaic solar energy, attained over a long period of continuous achievements, or very exceptionally, for some extraordinary invention or discovery. It is primarily a European Award but not restricted exclusively to European citizens. The Prize is awarded periodically to a single individual. The Prize cannot be shared nor given to an institution or team.

The Becquerel Prize Committee selects the individual to be honoured with the prize. The committee is formed by:
(a) all the past awardees,
(b) the Chairperson of the Solar Energy Conference where the prize will be awarded,
(c) one representative of the European Commission,
(d) the organiser of the conference where the prize will be awarded.

Alexandre Edmond Becquerel

 

The Becquerel Prize is named after Alexandre Edmond Becquereli (24 March 1820 – 11 May 1891).
Alexandre Edmond Becquerel was born in Paris and was the assistant and later the successor of his father, Antoine Cesar Becquerel, at the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle.
In 1839, at the age of 19, he created and analyzed the world´s first photovoltaic cellii,iii in the laboratory of his father. The photovoltaic cell consisted of two electrodes in an acidic solution, separated by a thin membrane. He illuminated one of the electrodes. Especially when the electrodes were coated with AgCl or AgBr, he could observe a significant generation of electricity. Since he could exclude that this effect was due to temperature effects (induced by the illumination), he concluded that the light itself was the reason for his observation. Furthermore Becquerel already discovered the influence of the spectrum of light on the photovoltaic effect; he noted that blue light yielded the highest current generation.
Alexandre Edmond Becquerel was also very active in other research related to the effects of light like photography and phosphorescence. In 1867/68 he published the important book: “La lumière, ses causes et ses effets (Light, its causes and effects)”.
________________________________
i not to be confused with his son Henri Becquerel who received the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of radioactivity
ii A.E. Becquerel, "Recherches sur les effets de la radiation chimique de la lumiere solaire au moyen des courants electriques", Comptes Rendus de L'Academie des Sciences, Vol. 9, pp. 145-149, 1839; also Annalen der Physik und Chemie, Vol. 54, pp. 18-34, 1841.
iii A.E. Becquerel, "Memoire sur les effects electriques produits sous I'influence des rayons solaires", Comptes Rendus de L'Academie des Sciences, Vol. 9, pp. 561- 567, 1839; also Annalen der Physik und Chemie, Vol. 54, pp. 35-42, 1841. (You may find a translation of publication iii into English here )

History of the Becquerel Prize


Find out more about the history of the Becquerel Prize here

Previous Becquerel Prize Winners


2024

Dr. Daniel Lincot
Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2024
Keynote speech by the awardee 2024

2023

Dr. Gunter Erfurt
Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2023
Keynote speech by the awardee 2023

2022

Prof. Marko Topič
Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2022
Keynote speech by the awardee 2022

2021

Ulrike Jahn
Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2021
Keynote speech by the awardee 2021

2020

Prof. Henry Snaith
Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2020
Keynote speech by the awardee 2020

2019

Dr. Pierre Verlinden
Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2019
Keynote speech by the awardee 2019

2018

Prof. Peter Würfel
Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2018
Keynote speech by the awardee 2018

2017

Dr. Stefan Nowak
Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2017

Keynote speech by the awardee 2017

2016

Prof. Christophe Ballif
Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2016

Keynote speech by the awardee 2016

2015

Prof. Andrés Cuevas

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2015

Keynote speech by the awardee 2015

2014

Dr. Stefan Glunz

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2014

Keynote speech by the awardee 2014

2013

Prof. Gabriel Sala

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2013

Keynote speech by the awardee 2013

2012

Dr. Winfried Hoffmann

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2012

Keynote speech by the awardee 2012

2011

Prof. Wim Sinke

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2011

Keynote speech by the awardee 2011

2010

Prof. Hans-Werner Schock

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2010
Keynote speech by the awardee 2010

2009

Dr. Andreas W. Bett

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2009

Keynote speech by the awardee 2009

2008

Mechtild Rothe

2007

Prof. Arvind Shah

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2007
Keynote speech by the awardee 2007

2006

Dr. Richard M. Swanson

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2006

Keynote speech by the awardee 2006

2006

Dr. Dieter Bonnet

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2006

Obituary for Dr. Bonnet

2005

Prof. Joachim Luther

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2005

Keynote speech by the awardee 2005

2004

Prof. Masafumi Yamaguchi

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2004

2003

Dr. Wolfgang Palz

2001

Prof. Viacheslav Andreev

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 2001

Keynote speech by the awardee 2001

2000

Frederick C. Treble

1998

Dr. Walter Sandtner

1997

Prof. Adolf Goetzberger

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 1997
Keynote speech by the awardee 1997

1995

Dr. Karlheinz Krebs

1994

Dr. Morton Prince

1992

Prof. Antonio Luque

Diploma - Becquerel Prize 1992

1991

Prof. Werner Bloss

1989

Prof. Roger Van Overstraeten

Bylaws of the Becquerel Prize Committee


Please download the bylaws of the Becquerel Prize committee here

Becquerel Prize Brochures


NEW BECQUEREL Brochure, 1989-2024, 2024 Edition


Old Becquerel brochure 1989-2017

Contact


The Chairman of the Becquerel Committee is Prof. Stefan Glunz at Fraunhofer ISE and University of Freiburg.
Should you need additional information, please don't hesitate to contact Ms. Luisa Scherzinger or Ms. Birgit Morelle at Fraunhofer ISE (office-glunz@ise.fraunhofer.de).

Webmaster: C. Ballif/N. Romano, CSEM