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SUMMARY:Harvesting energy from the sun - Next-generation solar cells - Joh
 annes Richter
DTSTART:20170307T203000Z
DTEND:20170307T210000Z
UID:TALK70072@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Alisa Molotova
DESCRIPTION:The energy usage of the industrial countries is steadily risin
 g whilst we try to decarbonise our energy consumption at the same time. Th
 is discrepancy requires affordable large-scale renewable energy sources. S
 olar panels have the potential to make up a large proportion of our future
  energy mix. The prices for conventional silicon-based solar cells have dr
 opped by almost a factor of 100 over the last 20 years. However\, no signi
 ficant improvements have been made in the efficiency of those devices. Mod
 ern organic and hybrid organic-inorganic semiconductors have the ability t
 o overcome the limitations of conventional solar cells. Not only are these
  electronics ultra-thin – one hundredth of a human hair – they are als
 o easily manufactured via ink-jet printing. Their potential application go
 es beyond classical solar panels on the roof: They can act as energy sourc
 e for off-grid villages in developing countries and as electricity-generat
 ing window tints in cars or office buildings.\nIn the Cavendish Lab we use
  femtosecond (1 femtosecond = 0.000000000000001 s) laser spectroscopy to s
 tudy these new fascinating materials. This allows us to investigate in ‘
 slow motion’ how light gets converted into electricity. In this talk\, I
  will present new design approaches for next-generation solar cells and de
 monstrate how this will allow to overcome the efficiency limits of current
  photovoltaics. I will then present some of the laser spectroscopy work wh
 ich helped us to boost the efficiency of these devices.\n
LOCATION:Senior Parlour\, Gonville and Caius College
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