Student Name: Gaurav Bhardwaj

Student ID: n8748390

Annotated Bibliography
1. Chen, P., Qi, J., Klug, M., Dang, X., Hammond, P., & Belcher, A. (2014).
Environmentally responsible fabrication of efficient perovskite solar cells from recycled
car batteries. Energy Environ. Sci., 7(11), 3659-3665. doi:10.1039/c4ee00965g

Organolead. halide perovskite is capable of making photovoltaic cells that are

nearly as good as solar cells developed from silicon. Over the last 5 years,
perovskite-based cells ballooned in efficiency from 3.8-19.3%. Each panel only
needs a layer that is half a micrometer thick, so each battery can make enough
panels to meet the needs of 30 American families. After the panels have been
used for several years and need to be replaced, the perovskite can be recycled
into new panels without diminished efficiency or new environmental threat. The
solar panels will safely encase the lead, minimizing any chance of pollution while
generating clean, reliable electricity.
2. Furchi, M., Pospischil, A., Libisch, F., Burgdrfer, J., & Mueller, T. (2014). Photovoltaic
Effect in an Electrically Tunable van der Waals Heterojunction. Nano Letters, 14(8),
4785-4791. doi:10.1021/nl501962c

Incredibly thin layers of photoactive crystal tungsten diselenide have been

combined with molybdenum disulfide in order to create a semi-transparent
material that could revolutionize solar technology. This material is so light, 300
square meters weighs only one gram and each layer within the material is only a
few atoms thick. While this material does let some light through, much of the light
is converted into electricity. Functional solar cells made out of this material could
be used on windows to generate energy for the building without compromising
the aesthetic or obscuring the view.
3. Kramer, I., Minor, J., Moreno-Bautista, G., Rollny, L., Kanjanaboos, P., & Kopilovic, D.
et al. (2014). Efficient Spray-Coated Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells. Adv. Mater.,
27(1), 116-121. doi:10.1002/adma.201403281

Student Name: Gaurav Bhardwaj

Student ID: n8748390

Until now, it was. only possible to .incorporate light-sensitive CQDs onto surfaces
through batch processingan .inefficient, .slow and expensive assembly-line
approach to .chemical. coating.. SprayLD blasts a liquid containing CQDs directly
onto flexible surfaces, such as .film or plastic,. like printing a newspaper. by
applying ink onto a roll. of paper. (Related to Journal article number 4). This
roll-to-roll. coating method makes. incorporating solar cells into existing
manufacturing processes .much .simpler without any major. loss in solar-cell
efficiency.
4. Kramer, I., Moreno-Bautista, G., Minor, J., Kopilovic, D., & Sargent, E. (2014).
Colloidal quantum dot solar cells on curved and flexible substrates. Applied Physics
Letters, 105(16), 163902. doi:10.1063/1.4898635

Until now, it was only possible to. incorporate light-sensitive CQDs onto surfaces
through batch processingan .inefficient, slow and expensive. assembly-line
approach to chemical. coating. .SprayLD blasts a liquid containing CQDs directly
onto flexible. surfaces, such .as .film or plastic, like printing a newspaper by
applying ink onto a roll of paper (Related to Journal article number 3). This
roll-to-roll. coating method makes. incorporating .solar cells into existing
manufacturing .processes much simpler without .any major .loss in solar-cell
efficiency.
5. Tabachnyk, M., Ehrler, B., Glinas, S., Bhm, M., Walker, B., & Musselman, K. et al.
(2014). Resonant energy transfer of triplet excitons from pentacene to PbSe nanocrystals.
Nat Mater, 13(11), 1033-1038. doi:10.1038/nmat4093

In conventional semiconductors such as .silicon, when one photon is absorbed it

leads to the formation of one free electron. that .can be extracted as current.
However, in. pentacene, a type of organic .semiconductor, the absorption of a
photon leads to the formation of two .electrons. But these electrons ..are not free
and they are difficult to pin down, as. they are bound up within dark triplet

Student Name: Gaurav Bhardwaj

Student ID: n8748390

exciton states. The key to making a .better. solar .cell is to be able to extract the
electrons from these dark triplet. excitons, said Maxim Tabachnyk, a Gates
Cambridge Scholar at the .Universitys Cavendish Laboratory, and the papers
lead author. If we can combine .materials like pentacene. with conventional
semiconductors like silicon, it would .allow us to break. through .the fundamental
ceiling on the efficiency of solar .cells. Using state-of-art femtosecond laser
spectroscopy techniques, the team. discovered that triplet. excitons could be
transferred directly into inorganic. semiconductors, with a. transfer. efficiency of
more than 95%. Once transferred .to the inorganic material, the electrons from
the triplets can be easily. extracted. Combining the advantages of. organic
semiconductors, which. are low cost and easily processable, with .highly efficient
inorganic .semiconductors, could enable us. to further. push the efficiency of
inorganic solar cells, like those .made of silicon.
6. Zhao, Y., Meek, G., Levine, B., & Lunt, R. (2014). Light Harvesting: Near-Infrared
Harvesting Transparent Luminescent Solar Concentrators (Advanced Optical Materials
7/2014). Advanced Optical Materials, 2(7), 599-599. doi:10.1002/adom.201470040

Solar concentrators are used to lens sunlight, focusing. it on a small area to

maximize the amount of light, maximizing the amount .of electricity generated,
these can be quite large and a bit of an eyesore, as. they are very much function
over form. The secret to their success was developing. a system that could
operate at wavelengths outside of the visible spectrum. which was accomplished
by using organic luminophores, which are compounds .that are responsible for
luminescence. The concentrator absorbs light at certain. wavelengths, and then
is able to transmit them in another. Because the visible. spectrum isnt involved,
the researchers were able to have a finished product as. clear as glass. Rather
than concentrate the light directly over the solar cell (like. holding a magnifying
glass over a leaf), the infrared glow is transferred to the .solar cells at the

Student Name: Gaurav Bhardwaj

Student ID: n8748390

perimeter of the device, where it is. converted into electricity. With all of the
action happening along the edge, .there are incredible opportunities to integrate
the technology nearly. anywhere.
7. Brightsourceenergy.com,. (2015). Ivanpah | Worlds Largest Solar Plant in California
Desert. Retrieved 23 March 2015, from
http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/ivanpah-solar-project#.VQ-Xx_l9J2C

The 300,000 odd software-controlled .mirrors track the sun and focus the sunlight
onto solar receivers (boilers) at the top. of three 459 foot tall towers. This then
heats the water inside the boilers and .the resultant steam is used to drive
turbines that then generate electricity. The. complex is estimated to reduce
CO2 emissions by more than 400,000 tons .per year, which is about the same as
taking 88,000 cars off of the road. It also. produces less air pollutants, such as
sulfur oxides, than natural gas-fired power .plants. This complex is a great
example of how solar energy is already. being implemented on large scales.
8. Ise.fraunhofer.de,. (2015). World Record Solar Cell with 44.7% Efficiency- Fraunhofer
ISE. Retrieved 23 March 2015, from
http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/press-and-media/press-releases/presseinformationen-201
3/world-record-solar-cell-with-44.7-efficiency

The concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) .were derived from technology used in

space and are twice as efficient as regular. photovoltaic panels. The four-junction
solar cells are stacked on top of one another,. which allow each cell to absorb a
different wavelength of solar light. Additionally,. a new technique known as wafer
bonding has allowed the team to connect .semiconductor crystals; a feat that had
previously been incredibly difficult. Wafer. bonding allows for a stability of the cell
while maintaining an airtight environment. .This breakthrough contributes greatly
to maximize efficiency of current solar. technology.

Student Name: Gaurav Bhardwaj

Student ID: n8748390

9. Qmul.ac.uk,. (2015). Cheap solar cells made from shrimp shells. Retrieved 23 March
2015, from http://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/items/se/148963.html

Materials chitin and chitosan found .in the shells of crustaceans are abundant
and significantly cheaper to produce .than the expensive metals such as
ruthenium, which is similar to platinum,. that are currently used in making
nanostructured solar-cells. Researchers .used a process known as hydrothermal
carbonization to create the carbon quantum .dots (CQDs) from the widely and
cheaply available chemicals found in crustacean. shells. They then coat standard
zinc oxide nanorods with the CQDs to make the .solar cells. Though the
efficiency of solar cells made with these .biomass-derived materials is low but if it
can be improved they could be placed in .everything from wearable chargers for
tablets, phones and smartwatches, to .semi-transparent films over window.
10. Spataru, C. (2015). How the energy grid handles the surge after a solar eclipse. The
Conversation. Retrieved 23 March 2015, from
http://theconversation.com/how-the-energy-grid-handles-the-surge-after-a-solar-eclipse-3
8922

Keeping the grid stable during the eclipse. is the main concern for power utilities.
The electrical grids of continental Europe. are linked together in whats called
the European synchronous area, allowing. countries to juggle excess energy
between them to meet demand. Grid .regulators will have to coordinate across
regions to manage the solar drop off. along and demand, all in real time. This
method of grid regulation. would help stabilize fluctuating power variations
produced by solar .energy.