The direct conversion of solar energy to electricity by photovoltaic devices is on track to become a leading competitor for next generation green power production. Although wafer-based crystalline Si is currently the dominant material for solar cells and it is expected to remain for at least a decade as the major technology, Si might not be so able to meet long-term cost goals.

Thin film solar cells based on amorphous Si (a-Si), Cu(InGa)Se2 (CIGS) and CdTe and nano/micro/poly-Si are gaining a strong momentum for their prospective high potential for cost reduction and quality improvement and are now becoming to experience an increasing weight on the market. Dye-cells and organic photovoltaics are also advancing and show promise for affordable low-cost technologies. Next-generation photovoltaics and nano-architectured solar cells that may enable several advanced- concepts solar cell designs to be exploited (e.g. intermediate band and multiple exiton devices, hot carrier and up/down conversion devices, etc.) are predicted to be very high-efficiency approaches to solar energy conversion. However, the substantial theoretical and practical challenges for their implementation in useful devices shall require a long time for making them a commercial perspective.

The International Symposium “Photovoltaic Solar Cell Conversion: Materials and Technology Challenges” through the contribution of experiences coming from several different disciplines will focus major advances in materials science, processing and device manufacturing of the very different options to photovoltaic solar cell conversion.

Theory and experiments directed at gaining a deeper understanding of the phenomena at atomic/molecular/nano- and meso-scale involved in the development of improved, emerging and new-generation high efficiency /low cost solar cells; novel materials and structures; growth or synthesis methods for bulk materials and thin films; large-area deposition and diagnostics; defects/surfaces/interfaces/grain boundaries characterisation and modelling; structure/ microstructure /property characterisation; device analysis, modelling, fabrication, lifetime; module design and processing, and commercialisation issues will be addressed.

Contributions are invited in the following and related areas:

FG-1 Crystalline Cells

FG-2 Thin-film Photovoltaics

FG-3 Emerging and Next-generation Solar Cells

FG-4 PV Devices, Modules, Systems and Applications

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