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Photovoltaics, the direct conversion of sunlight to electricity, is now the fastest growing technology for electricity generation. Present "first generation" products use the same silicon wafers as in microelectronics. "Second generation" thin-films, now entering the market, have the potential to greatly improve the economics by eliminating material costs. Martin Green, one of the world’s foremost photovoltaic researchers, argues in this book that "second generation" photovoltaics will eventually reach its own material cost constraints, engendering a "third generation" of high performance thin-films. The book explores, self-consistently, the energy conversion potential of advanced approaches for improving photovoltaic performance and outlines possible implementation paths.

Customer Reviews (1)

Third Generation Photovoltaics: Advanced Solar Energy Conversion (Springer Series in Photonics)
Martin Green has done it again.Just what the researcher and applications scientist needs.Well done!
Third Generation Photovoltaics: Advanced Solar Energy Conversion (Springer Series in Photonics)
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This comprehensive description and discussion of photovoltaics (PV) is presented at a level that makes it accessible to the interested academic. Starting with an historical overview, the text outlines the relevance of photovoltaics today and in the future. Then follows an introduction to the physical background of solar cells and the most important materials and technologies, with particular emphasis placed on future developments and prospects. The book goes beyond technology by also describing the path from the cell to the module to the system, proceeding to important applications such as grid-connected and stand-alone systems. The composition and development of the markets and the role of PV in future energy systems are also considered. Finally, the discussion turns to the future structure of energy supplies, expected to comprise more distributed generation, and addresses synergies and competition from other carbon-free energy sources.

Customer Reviews (1)

Very useful overview
This book is a very useful overview of all levels of PV electricity generation. Topics range from device physics to installation and economics of PV systems to government incentives for promoting solar power. While the book isn't cheap in an absolute sense, it's hard to find such a comprehensive review elsewhere for the price.

Given the book's broad scope and short length, it's no surprise the coverage is a bit thin in places. The device physics discussion is rather brief; you may want to refer to J. Nelson's book "The Physics of Solar Cells" or a comparable work to fill in details. OTOH, there is a very decent survey of materials and manufacturing techniques for inorganic cells. (Organics only merit a couple of pages in this book.) A discussion of the chief reasons that solar modules fail (in Ch. 10) was also quite useful.

Some drawbacks: The writing style tends to be very dull and fact-laden. (The authors are Germans writing in English.) So much information is shoved at you that very few people will be able to recall it perfectly after one reading; but almost none of the topics I found most interesting were in the woefully inadequate index. Also, while Amazon shows a 2006 publication date, the book's copyright page says 2005, and there aren't any references with dates past 2004 (and relatively few past 2002, in fact). A howling factual error in the first sentence of the first chapter (PV effect wasn't discovered by Henri, but rather by Edmond, Becquerel) is an unfortunate blemish. And while this isn't necessarily a drawback, the book definitely has a European point of view, with less information about the North American market and none about the Asian market outside Japan.

If you want to set up a solar power system for your home, this book isn't for you. It's also nearly useless if you want to learn in detail about how solar cells work. However, it could be interesting for engineers and scientists who want to understand the manufacturing, application and business contexts for PVs and solar power. The best audience is probably businesspeople (the proverbial "managers" of so many other book titles), especially VCs, investors and business development types who need a quick overview at slightly deeper than a "Scientific American" level of technical detail. ... Read more

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The European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conferences are dedicated to accelerating the impetus towards sustainable development of global PV markets. The 16th in the series, held in Glasgow, UK, brought together more than 1500 delegates from 72 countries, and provided an important and vital forum for information exchange in the field.

The Conference Proceedings place on record a new phase of market development and scientific endeavor in the PV industry, representing current and innovative thinking on all aspects of the science, technology, markets and business of photovoltaics.

In three volumes, the Proceedings present some 790 papers selected on the basis of peer review. The comprehensive range of topics covered comprise:
*fundamentals, novel devices and new materials
*thin-film cells and technologies
*space cells and systems
*crystalline silicon solar cells and technologies
*PV integration in buildings
*PV modules and components of PV systems
*implementation, strategies, national programs and financing schemes
*market deployment in developing countries

These proceedings are an essential reference for all involved in the global PV industry -- scientists, researchers, technologists and those with an interest in global market trends.

The conference was organized by WIP-Renewable Energies, Munich, Germany. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more