Organic photovoltaics (OPV) are a new generation of solar cells with the potential to offer very short energy pay back times, mechanical flexibility and significantly lower production costs compared to traditional crystalline photovoltaic systems. A weakness of OPV is their comparative instability during operation and this is a critical area of research towards the successful development and commercialization of these 3rd generation solar cells. Covering both small molecule and polymer solar cells, Stability and Degradation of Organic and Polymer Solar Cells summarizes the state of the art understanding of stability and provides a detailed analysis of the mechanisms by which degradation occurs. Following an introductory chapter which compares different photovoltaic technologies, the book focuses on OPV degradation, discussing the origin and characterization of the instability and describing measures for extending the duration of operation. Topics covered include: *Chemical and physical probes for studying degradation *Imaging techniques *Photochemical stability of OPV materials *Degradation mechanisms *Testing methods *Barrier technology and applications Stability and Degradation of Organic and Polymer Solar Cells is an essential reference source for researchers in academia and industry, engineers and manufacturers working on OPV design, development and implementation.

While measuring the effectiveness of solar cell materials may not always be practical once a device has been created, solar cell modeling may allow researchers to obtain prospective analyses of the internal processes of potential materials prior to their manufacture. Advanced Solar Cell Materials, Technology, Modeling, and Simulation discusses the development and use of modern solar cells made from composite materials. This volume is targeted toward experts from universities and research organizations, as well as young professionals interested in pursuing different subjects regarding advanced solar cells.

Durability and Reliability of Polymers and Other Materials in Photovoltaic Modules describes the durability and reliability behavior of polymers used in Si-photovoltaic modules and systems, particularly in terms of physical aging and degradation process/mechanisms, characterization methods, accelerated exposure chamber and testing, module level testing, and service life prediction. The book compares polymeric materials to traditional materials used in solar applications, explaining the degradation pathways of the different elements of a photovoltaic module, including encapsulant, front sheet, back sheet, wires and connectors, adhesives, sealants, and more. In addition, users will find sections on the tests needed for the evaluation of polymer degradation and aging, as well as accelerated tests to aid in materials selection. As demand for photovoltaics continues to grow globally, with polymer photovoltaics offering significantly lower production costs compared to earlier approaches, this book will serve as a welcome resource on new avenues.

Solar cells are semiconductor devices that convert light photons into electricity in photovoltaic energy conversion and can help to overcome the global energy crisis. Solar cells have many applications including remote area power systems, earth-orbiting satellites, wristwatches, water pumping, photodetectors and remote radiotelephones. Solar cell technology is economically feasible for commercial-scale power generation. While commercial solar cells exhibit good performance and stability, still researchers are looking at many ways to improve the performance and cost of solar cells via modulating the fundamental properties of semiconductors. Solar cell technology is the key to a clean energy future. Solar cells directly harvest energy from the sun’s light radiation into electricity are in an ever-growing demand for future global energy production. Solar cell-based energy harvesting has attracted worldwide attention for their notable features, such as cheap renewable technology, scalable, lightweight, flexibility, versatility, no greenhouse gas emission, environment, and economy friendly and operational costs are quite low compared to other forms of power generation. Thus, solar cell technology is at the forefront of renewable energy technologies which are used in telecommunications, power plants, small devices to satellites. Aiming at large-scale implementation can be manipulated by various types used in solar cell design and exploration of new materials towards improving performance and reducing cost. Therefore, in-depth knowledge about solar cell design is fundamental for those who wish to apply this knowledge and understanding in industries and academics. This book provides a comprehensive overview on solar cells and explores the history to evolution and present scenarios of solar cell design, classification, properties, various semiconductor materials, thin films, wafer-scale, transparent solar cells, and so on. It also includes solar cells’ characterization analytical tools, theoretical modeling, practices to enhance conversion efficiencies, applications and patents.

This book is intended to be a practical guide in the laboratory for the experimental solar-cell scientist whether he or she is involved with synthesis, device preparation, processing, or device characterization. Useful to all scientists working practically in the field, the book presents the process of creating a polymer solar-cell device beginning with a description of materials, including how they are made and characterized, followed by how the materials are processed into devices and films, and how these are characterized. From there, the status of two emerging fields of polymer solar cells are described: degradation and stability and large-scale processing.

Thin-film solar cells are either emerging or about to emerge from the research laboratory to become commercially available devices finding practical various applications. Currently no textbook outlining the basic theoretical background, methods of fabrication and applications currently exist. Thus, this book aims to present for the first time an in-depth overview of this topic covering a broad range of thin-film solar cell technologies including both organic and inorganic materials, presented in a systematic fashion, by the scientific leaders in the respective domains. It covers a broad range of related topics, from physical principles to design, fabrication, characterization, and applications of novel photovoltaic devices.

The book reviews recent research and new trends in the area of solar cell materials. Topics include fabrication methods, solar cell design, energy efficiency and commercialization of next-generation materials. Special focus is placed on graphene and carbon nanomaterials, graphene in dye-sensitized solar cells, perovskite solar cells and organic photovoltaic cells, as well as on transparent conducting electrode (TCE) materials, hollow nanostructured photoelectrodes, monocrystalline silicon solar cells (MSSC) and BHJ organic solar cells. Also discussed is the use of graphene, sulfides, and metal nanoparticle-based absorber materials. Keywords: Solar Cell, Graphene Nanomaterials, Carbon Nanomaterials, Graphene in Dye-sensitized Solar Cells, Perovskite Solar Cells, Organic Photovoltaic Cells, Transparent Conducting Electrode (TCE) Materials, Hollow Nanostructured Photoelectrodes, Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Cells (MSSC), BHJ Organic Solar Cells, Electrochemical Sensing, Low Band-Gap Materials, Absorber Materials for Solar Cells.

Organic solar cells have emerged as new promising photovoltaic devices due to their potential applications in large area, printable and flexible solar panels. Organic Solar Cells: Materials and Device Physics offers an updated review on the topics covering the synthesis, properties and applications of new materials for various critical roles in devices from electrodes, interface and carrier transport materials, to the active layer composed of donors and acceptors. Addressing the important device physics issues of carrier and exciton dynamics and interface stability and novel light trapping structures, the potential for hybrid organic solar cells to provide high efficiency solar cells is examined and discussed in detail. Specific chapters covers key areas including: Latest research and designs for highly effective polymer donors/acceptors and interface materials Synthesis and application of highly transparent and conductive graphene Exciton and charge dynamics for in-depth understanding of the mechanism underlying organic solar cells. New potentials and emerging functionalities of plasmonic effects in OSCs Interface Degradation Mechanisms in organic photovoltaics improving the entire device lifetime Device architecture and operation mechanism of organic/ inorganic hybrid solar cells for next generation of high performance photovoltaics This reference can be practically and theoretically applied by senior undergraduates, postgraduates, engineers, scientists, researchers, and project managers with some fundamental knowledge in organic and inorganic semiconductor materials or devices.

The present volume describes and explains the fundamentals of organic/plastic solar cells in a manner accessible to both researchers and students. It provides an up-to-date and comprehensive account of these materials and corresponding devices, which will play a key role in future solar energy systems.