Photovoltaics

Increasing demands on energy has necessitated the development of large-scale, low-cost, renewable energy. Solar energy is highly attractive and extremely promising as the energy reaching the earth from the sun is orders of magnitude larger than today's global energy consumption and is quiet, requires low maintenance, has no restrictions on size, can be located close to the point on consumption, and is a clean, direct and efficient mode of energy conversion. The challenge lies in making solar power economically competitive while working with the materials readily available in abundance along with all their inherent constraints, also using those materials as economically as possible. Novel materials and structures are constantly being investigated for possible application in the area of photovoltaics (PVs). This book begins by discussing nanostructure-based PVs. It then continues to provide information on several topics that include the environmental impacts from end-of-life disposal of PVs; photocured polymer electrolyte membranes for dye-sensitised solar cells; economic analysis of support policies in PV systems; indoor PVs; effect of urban density on PV performance; and PV effects in nanoscale ferroelectrics.