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Wolfgang Palz
Country: Germany
Year joined industry: 1970
Company first worked for: French National Space Agency
Technology area: PV
Still active in the industry: Yes
Wolfgang Palz’s first academic thesis in 1963/65 was on PV. He was a professor for Semiconductor physics in
Nancy France from 1965 to 1970. In 1970 he joined the French National Space Agency CNES as a solar expert in
charge of power system development. During this period Palz was active with solar projects in French speaking
African countries including the installation of solar water pumping systems. In 1973 he was the co-organiser of the
Paris UNESCO Congress “The Sun in the Service of Mankind” . In 1977 he joined the EU commission in Brussels,
and he managed the Renewable Energy development programmes until 1997. During that 20 years he oversaw
almost $1 billion in projects to industry and academia. The R & D programme covered a wide variety of renewable
energy projects including Solar Architecture, Solar energy, Wind Energy, Biomass and ocean energy. During this
time, he also took the lead in promoting the establishment of the European PV Industry Association (EPIA) , the
European PV conferences and was a supporter of the fledgling PV industry in Europe. He was instrumental in
establishing the prestigious Becquerel Prize awarded to those who made major contributions to the science,
technology or application of photovoltaic solar electricity. In 1997 he became a member of the EU Commission
Council for renewable energy deployment in Africa. From 2000-2002, Palz was a member of an energy committee
of the German Parliament that established the energy strategy for Germany to the year 2050. After leaving the
commission he worked as a consultant on projects in Latin America . He has been an active participant on many
organisations including being chairman of the World Renewable Energy Council. Palz has been recognised in many
awards including Order of Merit of Germany and the Becquerel Prize (2003). He has been the author of many books
with his first in 1978.
Peter Varadi
Country: United States
Year joined industry: 1968
Company first worked for: Communication Satellite Corporation
(COMSAT)
Technology area: PV
Still active in the industry: Yes
Peter F. Varadi after a scientific career in I968 was appointed head of the Communication Satellite Corporation’s
(COMSAT) chemistry laboratory in the USA. In this function he also participated on research in photovoltaic (PV)
solar cells, which were used to power the satellites. In 1973 he co-founded SOLAREX Corporation, Rockville, MD
(USA) to develop the utilization of solar cells (PV) for terrestrial applications. SOLAREX was one of the two companies
which pioneered this field. By 1983 it became the largest PV Company in the world having manufacturing plants
in USA, Europe, Asia and Australia, when it was sold to AMOCO. Since then he continued consulting 10 years for
Solarex, after that for the European Commission, The World Bank, NREL, etc.. In recognition of his lifelong service to
the global PV sector and his continuing commitment striving for excellence in the PV industry, he received in 2004
the European Photovoltaic Industry Association’ (EPIA) (now SolarPower Europe) John Bonda prize. His book “Sun
above the Horizon” (published in 2014) describes the history of the terrestrial utilization of solar cells (PV) from its
beginning until it became a part of the world’s electricity generating systems. His following books (“Sun towards
High Noon” published in 2017 and “The Sun is Rising in Africa and the Middle East” published in 2018) narrates
how PV became one of the world’s major electricity generation systems.
50 | ISES SWC50 - The Century of Solar-Stories and Visions