Projects per year
Abstract
The opportunities for photovoltaic (PV) solar energy conversion are reviewed in the context of projected world energy demands for the twenty-first century. Conventional single-crystal silicon solar cells are facing increasingly strong competition from thin-film solar cells based primarily on polycrystalline absorber materials, such as cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS). However, if PVs are to make a significant contribution to satisfy global energy requirements, issues of sustainability and cost will need to be addressed with increased urgency. There is a clear need to expand the range of materials and processes that is available for thin-film solar cell manufacture, placing particular emphasis on low-energy processing and sustainable non-toxic raw materials. The potential of new materials is exemplified by copper zinc tin sulphide, which is emerging as a viable alternative to the more toxic CdTe and the more expensive CIGS absorber materials.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1840-1856 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A - Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences |
Volume | 369 |
Issue number | 1942 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 13 May 2011 |
Keywords
- thin film
- electrodeposition
- solar cells
- photovoltaics
- sustainability
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Dive into the research topics of 'Towards sustainable photovoltaics: the search for new materials'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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SUPERGEN: Photovoltaic Materials for the 21st Century
Peter, L. (PI), Islam, S. (CoI), Marken, F. (CoI) & Molloy, K. C. (CoI)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
1/04/08 → 30/09/12
Project: Research council