March 18, 2005

Solar energy takes center stage in talk on future energy sources

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Solar-cell technology is already increasing its stature in the world's electricity supply, according to a U.S. Department of Energy researcher, who will speak on Wednesday (March 23) at Purdue University.

Lawrence L. Kazmerski, of the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in Golden Colo., will talk about the last 50 years of solar technology as well as what the future holds for this renewable resource. Kazmerski's presentation "Solar Photovoltaics: At the Tipping Point," which is free and open to the public, will take place from 3-4 p.m. in the Krannert Building, Room G-4.

"Solar photovoltaics – or solar-cell technology – is at the 'tipping point' of its history, and I want this talk to take a fun look at the history of this technology and show how it will change the way we generate electricity," said Kazmerski, who recently was elected into the National Academy of Engineering. "People in Europe and Asia already use solar cells as a regular source of energy, and by the year 2050 we expect use of this technology to become a significant, if not dominant, electricity producer around the world."

Kazmerski said sales of solar photovoltaics rose 60 percent last year and have increased an average of 30 percent to 40 percent over the past decade. "This is a $15 billion a year business aimed now mainly at the rooftop consumer market," he said. "But, every time we use our cell phone, ATM card or Direct TV system we are using photo-cell technology for that information transfer."

Road signs along construction sites and highways use solar cells to charge their batteries so they can glow at night. "The first generators used after the hurricanes went through Florida last year were powered with solar-cell technology," Kazmerski said. "In fact, this technology is often used as first-response lighting after a natural disaster."

The use of nanotechnology and nanomanufacturing will improve the efficiency and cut the cost making solar photovoltaics technology a more cost-effective way to produce electricity for use in homes and industry, according to Pankaj Sharma, inter-center research director of Purdue Discovery Park.

Solar cells convert sunlight directly into electricity and are composed of semiconducting materials similar to those used in computer chips. When these materials absorb sunlight, the solar energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms, producing electricity. This process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage and current) is called the photovoltaic effect. Solar photovoltaics offer the advantages of clean and secure energy, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Kazmerski has published more than 300 journal papers in the areas of solar cells, thin films, semiconductor materials and devices, surface and interface analysis, scanning probe microscopy, nanoscale technology, high-temperature superconductivity and semiconductor defects.

The program is part of the Kenninger Distinguished Energy and Power Systems seminar and is organized by the Discovery Park Distinguished Seminar Series and the Pioneers in Energy Lecture Series of the College of Engineering.

Writer: Cynthia Sequin, (765) 494-4192, csequin@purdue.edu

Sources: Pankaj Sharma, (765) 496-7452, sharma@purdue.edu

Lawrence Kazmerski, kaz@nrel.gov

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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