High Efficiency Solar Absorbers

Thin film solar cells (TFSCs) represent a growing share of the photovoltaics market. Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and CdTe based TFSCs are the current leading absorber materials with device efficiencies approaching 20 percent. The relative non-abundance of indium and tellurium along with the toxicity of cadmium renders these materials unattractive for large scale commercial photovoltaics. Developing new earth-abundant materials that effectively absorb the solar spectrum enables thinner, flexible solar cells while still maintaining high efficiencies. Properties of new thin-film solar absorbers will be discussed.