This study frames integration of Solar Energy Conversion Systems (SECS) with the built environment, addressing on-site limitations for resource allocation in the urban context. The Sun, buildings, and solar technologies are investigated as resource systems within Ostrom’s framework of the commons and shared governance, with associated goods (as resource units) appropriated from light conversion...

Thermodynamics has played a singular role in the development of virtually all energy technologies to-date. This review argues that it also has a role to play in the understanding and design of solar cell operation, particularly looking toward the future, high-efficiency solar cells. After a historical overview of the key developments in the ‘thermodynamics of light,’ the conversion of a monochr...

In order to simultaneously decrease the production costs of thin film silicon solar cells and obtain higher performances, the authors have studied the possibility to increase the light trapping effect within thin film silicon solar cells deposited on flexible plastic substrates. In this context, different nano-structure shapes useable for the back contacts of amorphous silicon solar cells on pl...

The Genesis Discovery mission returned solar matter in the form of the solar wind with the goal of obtaining precise solar isotopic abundances (for the first time) and greatly improved elemental abundances. Measurements of the light noble gases in regime samples demonstrate that isotopes are fractionated in the solar wind relative to the solar photosphere. Theory is required for correction. Mea...

Optical characterization methods were applied to a series of microcrystalline silicon thin films and solar cells deposited by the very high frequency glow discharge technique. Bulk and surface light scattering effects were analyzed. A detailed theory for evaluation of the optical absorption coefficient a from transmittance, reflectance and absorptance ~with the help of constant photocurrent met...

This study presents a novel visible light-active TiO₂ nanotube anode film by sensitization with Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles. The uniform incorporation of Bi₂O₃ contributes to largely enhancing the solar light absorption and photoelectric conversion efficiency of TiO₂ nanotubes. Due to the energy level difference between Bi₂O₃ and TiO₂, the built-in electric field is suggested to be formed in the Bi₂O₃ ...

Human adenoviruses (HAdV) are important pathogens in both industrialized and developing nations. HAdV has been shown to be relatively resistant to monochromatic UVC light. Polychromatic UVC light, in contrast, is a more effective means of disinfection, presumably due to the involvement of viral proteins in the inactivation mechanism. Solar disinfection of HAdV, finally, is only poorly understoo...

Oxide nanocrystallite aggregates are candidates for use in dye-sensitized solar cells. The aggregates are of submicron size, formed by nano-sized crystallites and, therefore, able to offer both a large specific surface area and desirable size comparable to the wavelength of light. While used for a photoelectrode in a dye-sensitized solar cell, the aggregates can be designed to generate effectiv...

Solar energy is readily available in most climates and can be used for water purification. However, solar disinfection of drinking water mostly relies on ultraviolet light, which represents only 4% of the total solar energy, and this leads to a slow treatment speed. Therefore, the development of new materials that can harvest visible light for water disinfection, and so speed up solar water pur...

Light management is of great importance in photovoltaic cells, as it determines the fraction of incident light entering the device. An optimal p–n junction combined with optimal light absorption can lead to a solar cell efficiency above the Shockley–Queisser limit. Here, we show how this is possible by studying photocurrent generation for a single core–shell p–i–n junction GaAs nanowire solar c...