Title: Materials for non-conventional solar cells developing cost effective sustainable green energy

Abstract

Solar power is the key to a clean energy future. The sun provides more than enough energy to meet the whole world’s energy needs, and unlike fossil fuels, it won’t run out anytime soon. That’s why we’re investing heavily in solar plants and why we are now offering solar kits to the society. Solar panels produce electricity by transforming the continuous flow of energy from the sun to electricity. As a renewable CO2-free power source, the environmental impact of solar power is significantly smaller than other power generation methods. The photovoltaic process that transforms sunlight into electricity doesn’t require any fuel and has no variable costs. Silicon is, by far, the most common semiconductor material used in solar cells, representing approximately 95% of the modules sold today. As a renewable energy source, the only limitation of solar power is our ability to turn it into electricity in an efficient and cost-effective way. With a higher efficiency, fewer panels, or modules, need to be installed to reach a desired power target. This means less labor, less land and less hardware. That game changed a couple decades ago with the advent of thin-film solar cells and other cost-effective solar cells that forced the industry to focus on lower costs rather than high performance. Now that solar cells are less expensive to manufacture, the industry has entered a third phase with the goal: increasing efficiency while keeping low-cost manufacturing. A several such solar cells will be discussed during the presentation.