Janne Halme

I am a researcher and educator on new energy technologies and solar energy with interests in interdisciplinary research, entrepreneurship education, sustainability, and innovation.

My main research field is solar energy physics and engineering, especially colored and printed photovoltaics. My specialty has been theoretical and experimental research on dye-sensitized solar cells – their fabrication on flexible substrates, optical and electrical impedance spectroscopy, device physics, accelerated aging testing, and degradation analysis. More recently, I started applying these skills to develop new photonic concepts for energy-efficient coloration of conventional solar panels in view of their application in solar architecture, art, and design.

In teaching, I am passionate about integrating innovation and entrepreneurship education in the science and technology curricula and researcher training. I developed and organized various integrated courses and an intensive summer school program for developing entrepreneurial mindset and skills in collaboration with Aalto Ventures Program. The courses were part of the Master’s Programme in Advanced Materials for Innovation and Sustainability (AMIS) which I coordinated and directed at Aalto in 2017 – 2022. I am also contributing to staff training as a part-time Innovation Agent by encouraging and advising researchers in their first steps of commercializing research results at the Department of Applied Physics. I am the recipient of 2020 SCI Teaching Award of the School of Science.

In a third dimension, I am exploring the liminal space between art and science. This is a journey that began in 2017 with artist Bartaku and a group of scientists at Aalto and lead to the creation of the first hand-painted solar panel, Blck Vlvt, the Painting Energies podcast, and the exhibition series Towardless: Plant-based Electrical and Art Energy.

You find my publications and other contributions behind the tabs Research output and Activities, and in ORCID or Publons.

Research expertise

Colored photovoltaics, textile solar cells, optical modeling, optics and photonics of solar cells, colorimetry, dye-sensitized solar cells, flexible solar cells, inkjet-printed solar cells, solar cell device physics, impedance spectroscopy, photoelectrolysis, photochemistry, corrosion, solar cell stability, accelerated aging testing, fuel cell characterization, transdisciplinary ArtScience.