Photvoltaics & Novel Sources: Introduction

L. Tsakalakos
General Electric - Global Research Center, US

Keywords:

solar cells, quantum dots, nanowires, nanotubes, nanocomposites

Abstract:

In the past 5-10 years there has been and strong and growing interest in the fields of nanotechnology and photovoltaics. However, the convergence of the two has generally been overlooked relative to other fields, or research has focused on very specific types of solar cells. While PV performance advantages using nanotechnology have been demonstrated with limited success, much work remains to be done in harvesting the full potential of nanotechnology to transform and revolutionize PV science and technology. In this talk a general overview of the key nanotechnology physics and materials concepts that are applicable to PV will be described. While quantum phenomena may be exploited, nanoscale geometrical constructs may also be helpful in improving PV performance. Examples from our work in nano-photovoltaics will be discussed.

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