Research delivers - What is slowing down the expansion of solar energy?

Panel Discussion at the Berlin Science Week 2020
Participants:
Samira Jama Aden (Architect at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin | PVcomB | BAIP)
Prof. Steve Albrecht (Head of the young investigator group Perowskite Tandem Solar Cells, HZB)
Dr. Simon Kirner (Manager Programs at Oxford PV)
Klaus Mindrup (MdB, SPD)
Host: Prof. Rutger Schlatmann (Director of the Competence Centre Photovoltaics Berlin, PVcomB / HZB)
Thanks to new technologies from research, solar power does not cost more than coal-based electricity; but why is the expansion simply not getting off the ground?
Solar modules could also cover a considerable proportion of the energy requirements in cities - especially if the surfaces on the facades are also used in future. For this purpose, there are now a large number of aesthetically attractive facade solutions that also convert scattered light into electricity and are available in many colors and shapes. More and more solutions are emerging from research that enable even higher efficiencies and even lower module costs. The technologies are there and the kilowatt hour of solar power is no more expensive than coal-fired power. Yet the expansion is not getting off the ground. What is the reason for this?
Photovoltaics researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) will meet with representatives from politics and industry in a panel discussion. They will discuss research successes, economic aspects, market strategies, political incentives, construction challenges and what is needed to ensure that more solar power soon finds its way into living rooms.