Photovoltaics

Photovoltaics, or solar cell technology, is a rapidly growing segment within the world economy. Many companies and organizations are pursuing a variety of solar cell technologies to create cost-effective, efficient electricity from the sun. Solar cell technologies fall into two main groups (thin film and bulk technologies). Within each group, engineers and scientists are pursuing both silicon and compound semiconductor materials. Some groups are even pursuing organic materials. Currently, our website covers silicon photovoltaics materials. We are also developing additional content that will cover compound semiconductor photovoltaic materials. The material covers both the technology and manufacturing of photovoltaics. It helps to illustrate the tradeoffs between cost and performance for this alternative energy source.