Nikhef colloquium: "New developments in solar energy" by Elizabeth von Hauff (VU)

Friday 2 Feb 2018, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Amsterdam

H331 (Nikhef)

Abstract: Solar energy has great potential for providing clean energy on a large scale. Photovoltaics is the conversion of solar energy into electricity. The advantage of photovoltaics over other forms of electricity generation is that solar modules do not contain moving parts, and are therefore very low maintenance, and can be used in remote or mobile applications. To be commercially viable, a photovoltaic technology must satisfy three criteria: good power conversion efficiency, low cost, and high reliability. This has motivated a broad field of interdisciplinary research over the last decades, spanning from fundamental to application-driven questions, with the aim of developing emerging photovoltaic technologies for different applications. In this talk I will present our work on organic and perovskite photovoltaics, two emerging thin film technologies. I will focus on the underlying physical mechanisms of photovoltaic energy conversion in these systems, and how intrinsic material properties determine and/or limit device efficiency. In particular, I will discuss open questions and challenges in developing these technologies from the lab towards real applications.