Project R-13312

History, Roadmap, Challenges and Opportunities for the PV Industry from now to 2050 to fight Global Climate Change (Research)

Through a presentation of the evolution of Silicon solar cells from its first invention in 1956 to the current mainstream industrial technology, the different innovations that allowed to bring the efficiency from a few percent's to more than 26%, for a single junction Si cell, will be discussed. Followed by a presentation of the efficiency limits for single junction silicon cells and understanding why its efficiency is restricted to the Schockley-Queisser limit. Finally, we will review the consequences and challenges of The Paris Agreement (COP-21 of IPCC) and present a plan for an Energy Economy with 100% renewables to meet net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Beside material sustainability, integration issues of PV or other renewables technologies with deep grid penetration will be discussed.

01 October 2022 - 30 September 2023