Photovoltaics

Abstract

Photovoltaics (PV) is the technical term for generating electricity from light and today it is fast becoming an important industrial product. Increasing energy consumption, shrinking resources, and rising energy costs will have significant impact on our standard of living for future generations. In this situation, the development of alternative, cost-effective sources of energy for residential and commercial dwellings has to be a priority. Designing energy efficient and affordable dwellings located particularly in harsh climate regions present significant challenges. Metal chalcogenide compounds of elements cadmium, lead, and copper have attracted considerable interest in the area of photovoltaics due to their tunable bandgap (1-2 eV) and high absorption coefficient above 104 cm-1. In this chapter, the development and application of chalcogenides towards thin film solar cells are discussed. Highest efficiency thin film solar cells fabricated by various techniques are reviewed. Chalcogenides nanoparticles are also exploited in third-generation solar cells because of their tunable optical and electrical properties by varying the size of nanoparticles. A brief review on usage of chalcogenides in hybrid and quantum dots based solar cells is also presented.