Advancing Solar In Singapore

With A Focus On Saving The World, The Solar Energy Research Institute Of Singapore Has Invested Millions Of Dollars In Research Under The Leadership Of CEO Armin Aberle.

Professor Armin Aberle wants to move the world away from the fossil fuels that contribute to global warming and towards new, clean energy sources like wind and solar. The German-born professor has been focusing his efforts on solar and he’s been at the helm of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) at the National University of Singapore for seven years now.

Armin oversees a team of about 200 people at SERIS, which conducts research, development, testing and consulting on solar energy technologies and their integration into power systems and buildings. SERIS has invested more than S$100 million (US$73 million) in photovoltaic research over seven years. That money has largely come from the Singaporean government, which has “huge expectations”, according to Armin. It also comes from industry partners such as REC, which has a billion-dollar solar production factory in Singapore capable of producing 600 panels an hour. It’s up to SERIS to help these firms develop the panels they put into mass production. SERIS also collaborates closely with materials suppliers and semiconductor equipment vendors like FHR Anlagenbau from Germany.

“We basically have to have better labs than our customers from industry,” says Armin, adding that his work is like high performance sport: “We have to compete like it’s the Olympics, and so be it. I subscribe to that.

“The way I operate is I try to be fair, honest and consistent, and praise talent. We’re like a sports team. We want to win our gold medal at the Olympics. So, I try to be a good manager, a good coach, and I’m part of the team. I lead by example.”