Solar Energy and Solar Fuels

Berman / Moriarty

2/10/10

What performance is required?

• Powering the Planet: Chemical Challenges in Solar Energy Utilization; Nathan S. Lewis and Daniel G. Nocera, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2006, 103, 15729-15735.

What affects performance?

• Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization – http://www.er.doe.gov/bes/reports/abstracts.html#SEU

• Opportunities and Challenges for Development of a Mature Concentrating Photovoltaic Power Industry; S. Kurtz, Technical Report, NREL/TP-520-43208, Revised November 2009.

Where can I learn about the chemistry?

Artificial Photosynthesis/Solar Fuels:

• Accounts of Chemical Research; volume 42, #12. 2009 (entire volume on artificial photosynthesis/solar fuels)

• Computational studies of the O2-evolving complex of photosystem II and biomimetic oxomanganese complexes; Eduardo M. Sproviero, José A. Gascon, James P. McEvoy, Gary W. Brudvig, Victor S. Batista, Coordination Chemistry Reviews 252 (2008) 395–415.

• Photochemical Conversion of Solar Energy; V. Balzani, A. Credi and M. Venturi, ChemSusChem, 1 (2008) 26-58.

Where can I learn about the chemistry?

Photovoltaics: Solar Cells

• Organic solar cells: An overview; Harald Hoppe, Niyazi Serdar Sariciftci, J. Mater. Res, 19 (2004) pp. 1924 - 1945.

• Hybrid Nanorod-Polymer Solar Cells; Wendy U. Huynh, Janke J. Dittmer, A. Paul Alivisatos, Science 295 (2002) pp. 2425 – 2427.

• The path to 25% silicon solar cell efficiency: History of silicon cell evolution; Martin A. Green, Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, 17 (2009) pp. 183-189.

• “Nanotechnology for Next Generation Solar Cells” - Virtual Issue of J.Phys. Chem. C, Vol. vi, Issue 1, August 4, 2009

– http://pubs.acs.org/page/jpccck/vi/1

Where can I learn about the chemistry?

Solar Thermal:

• Robert F. Service, Solar Fuels: Sunlight in Your Tank, Science 326 (2009) pp. 1472 - 1475

Recommended Reading List

• Nathan S. Lewis, Chemical Challenges in Renewable Energy– http://nsl.caltech.edu/files/energy_notes.pdf