The Stanford Photonics Research Center

November 13, 2007

A multidisciplinary research effort at Stanford University is focused on developing advanced, lightweight, flexible thin-film solar cells based on abundant and easy-to-process organic materials. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
by Gary C. Bjorklund and Thomas M. Baer, Stanford Photonics Research Center
Global energy consumption is inexorably increasing, driven by population growth and the wave of industrialization in developing countries. Today the world uses about 13 TW of power. Projections are that about 30 TW will be needed by 2050. The sun provides a plentiful, renewable and nonpolluting source of energy. More than 120,000 TW of power from the sun is incident on the Earth. Solar cells produce immediately useful electricity from incident solar radiation and have the potential to be deployed over very large areas to harvest enough power to make a significant contribution to the world’s future energy requirements.However, there are several important problems that must be solved for solar cells to take on a major role in supplying the world’s electricity. The first is cost. The conventional multicrystalline silicon solar cell modules in use today, at 12 percent efficiency, are just too expensive at $0.27/kWh, in comparison with today’s grid electricity cost of $0.06/kWh...
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