Science on the Edge Lectures
*The event has already taken place on this date: Thu, 12/17/2015
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Physics of Photovoltaics: From the Beginning to Next Generation Nanotechnologies
Dr. Stephen Polly
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Photovoltaics are an essential enabling technology providing power both where it would be impractical to deliver otherwise and where sustainably produced (and recently, economically competitive) energy is required. Significant effort has gone into increasing the efficiency of these devices since their initial development in the 1950s. The most dramatic enhancements have been from the careful choice of material used for photon collection, with current state of the art (SOA) conversion efficiencies reaching 46%. In this presentation, a brief history of photovoltaic technologies and their underlying physical mechanisms for conversion of photons to electricity will be discussed. Current SOA solar cell devices will be introduced, with a specific focus on next-generation technologies incorporating nanostructured materials to improve photon conversion efficiency and make the most use of the available solar spectrum.
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