It is my great pleasure to invite you to the 7^th nPV workshop being held on the 5^th and 6^th of April 2017 in Freiburg Germany. Like the three previous editions, this event will be coupled to the SiliconPV conference with one overlapping day. The focus during the first day (5 April) will be on more scientific aspects of n-type crystalline Si PV technology and the second day (6 April) will be on applications of novel technologies in an industrial environment. The nPV workshop will cover the entire field from n-type Si material up to and including module technologies!

The progress in PV technology development and cost reduction is exceeding all expectations! In the Middle-East a PV power plant will be installed which will produce solar electricity at costs well below the ones for conventional primary energy sources: a bid of below 3 $ct/kWh LCOE. And be aware, we are just at the beginning! The potential for further efficiency improvement and cost reduction is huge, especially for n-type crystalline Si technology. The highest cell efficiencies (25% and higher) have been reached with this type of material; not only on small lab cells but also on large area using industrial process steps. The same holds for PV modules with n-type cells: module efficiencies above 22% have been recorded with an impressive independently confirmed record efficiency of 24.1% (aperture area) for a SunPower rooftop PV panel.

There are more than enough reasons to participate in the 7^th nPV workshop, not the least of which is to  get yourself updated on the recent progress made with n-type PV technology, and to discuss it with scientists and industry from all over the world in an open atmosphere!

I am looking forward to meeting you in Freiburg, Germany, and enjoying the nPV workshop!

On behalf of the organizing committee,

Arthur Weeber, chairman nPV 2017