This book covers the recent advances in photovoltaics materials and their innovative applications. Many materials science problems are encountered in understanding existing solar cells and the development of more efficient, less costly, and more stable cells. This important and timely book provides a historical overview, but concentrates primarily on the exciting developments in the last decade. It includes organic and perovskite solar cells, photovoltaics in ferroelectric materials, organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite, materials with improved photovoltaic efficiencies as well as the full range of semiconductor materials for solar-to-electricity conversion, from crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon to cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium sulfide selenides, dye sensitized solar cells, organic solar cells, and environmentally-friendly copper zinc tin sulfide selenides.

This book covers the recent advances in photovoltaics materials and their innovative applications. Many materials science problems are encountered in understanding existing solar cells and the development of more efficient, less costly, and more stable cells. This important and timely book provides a historical overview, but concentrates primarily on the exciting developments in the last decade. It includes organic and perovskite solar cells, photovoltaics in ferroelectric materials, organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite, materials with improved photovoltaic efficiencies as well as the full range of semiconductor materials for solar-to-electricity conversion, from crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon to cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium sulfide selenides, dye sensitized solar cells, organic solar cells, and environmentally-friendly copper zinc tin sulfide selenides.

The need to address the energy problem and formulate a lasting solution to tame climate change has never been so urgent. The rise of various renewable energy sources, such as solar cell technologies, has given humanity a glimpse of hope that can delay the catastrophic effects of these problems after decades of neglect. This review volume provides in-depth discussion of the fundamental photophysical processes as well as the state-of-the-art device engineering of various emerging photovoltaic technologies, including organic (fullerene, non-fullerene, and ternary), dye-sensitized (ruthenium, iron, and quantum dot), and hybrid metal-halide perovskite solar cells. The book is essential reading for graduate and postgraduate students involved in the photophysics and materials science of solar cell technologies.

Photovoltaic (PV) cells, which directly convert sunlight into electricity, are renewable sources of energy that are sustainable and totally inexhaustible. Emerging classes of solar PV cells have drawn considerable attention because they provide significant advantages over traditional silicon solar cells, such as low cost and attractive designs (lightweight, flexible, and portable) while exhibiting promising performance. Despite these features, certain challenges restrict the possible commercialization of these technologies. The world's leading scientists are making numerous efforts focused on bringing these promising technologies closer to commercialization. Some of these scientists provided valuable research contributions to this Special Issue on “Advances in Emerging Solar Cells” published by Nanomaterials, MDPI. This Special Issue presents 12 excellent articles, 10 research and 2 review papers, covering perovskite solar cells, heterojunction solar cells, organic solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, and PV materials. We think that this Special Issue will attract significant attention from a broad research community including renewable energy, photovoltaic, emerging solar cells, material science and nanotechnology.

This book provides the fundamental understanding of the functioning of solar cellsand the materials for the effective utilization of energy resources. The main objective of writing this book is to create a comprehensive and easy-to-understand source of information on the advances in the rapidly growing research on solar cells. Emerging Solar Energy Materials comprises 12 chapters written by the experts in the solar cell field and is organized with the intention to provide a big picture of the latest progress in the solar cell field and at the same time give an in-depth discussion on fundamentals of solar cells for interested audiences. In this book, each part opens with a new author's essay highlighting their work for contribution toward solar energy. Critical, cutting-edge subjects are addressed, including: Photovoltaic device technology and energy applications; Functional solar energy materials; New concept in solar energy; Perovskite solar cells; Dye-sensitized solar cells; Organic solar cells; Thin-film solar cells. The book is written for a large and broad readership including researchers and university graduate students from diverse backgrounds such as chemistry, physics, materials science, and photovoltaic device technology. The book includes enough information on the basics to be used as a textbook undergraduate coursework in engineering and the sciences.

This book presents a comparison of solar cell materials, including both new materials based on organics, nanostructures and novel inorganics and developments in more traditional photovoltaic materials. It surveys the materials and materials trends in the field including third generation solar cells (multiple energy level cells, thermal approaches and the modification of the solar spectrum) with an eye firmly on low costs, energy efficiency and the use of abundant non-toxic materials.

This book provides the fundamental understanding of the functioning of solar cellsand the materials for the effective utilization of energy resources. The main objective of writing this book is to create a comprehensive and easy-to-understand source of information on the advances in the rapidly growing research on solar cells. Emerging Solar Energy Materials comprises 12 chapters written by the experts in the solar cell field and is organized with the intention to provide a big picture of the latest progress in the solar cell field and at the same time give an in-depth discussion on fundamentals of solar cells for interested audiences. In this book, each part opens with a new author's essay highlighting their work for contribution toward solar energy. Critical, cutting-edge subjects are addressed, including: Photovoltaic device technology and energy applications; Functional solar energy materials; New concept in solar energy; Perovskite solar cells; Dye-sensitized solar cells; Organic solar cells; Thin-film solar cells. The book is written for a large and broad readership including researchers and university graduate students from diverse backgrounds such as chemistry, physics, materials science, and photovoltaic device technology. The book includes enough information on the basics to be used as a textbook undergraduate coursework in engineering and the sciences.

The photovoltaic (PV) industry is relatively young, and strongly influenced by mergers, acquisitions, and changes in utility regulations. Current research is pushing to increase efficiency and make PV solar electric cost-competitive with nonrenewable energy sources. This 190-page report offers an up-to-date analysis of emerging technologies, strategies, and markets that are shaping the nascent PV industry, and bringing it closer to its goal of harnessing the abundance of free solar energy to power the 21st century.

This book accessible book explores how market forces expose opportunities for new solar technologies. The authors explain how two emerging thin-film PV technologies-metal halide perovskites and colloidal quantum dots-can benefit from rapid scalability, reduced manufacturing and installation costs, and new modes of deployment.