KERF-less Crystalline-Silicon PV: Gas to Modules

KERF-less Crystalline-Silicon PV: Gas to Modules KERF-less Crystalline-Silicon PV: Gas to Modules DomesticUniversities:CaliforniaInstituteofTechnology;GeorgiaInstituteofTechnology;MIT; UniversityofArizona;UniversityofDelaware;UniversityofHouston;UniversityofNewMexico. ForeignUniversities:ImperialCollege,London;UniversityofNewSouthWales;UniversityofTokyo. IntellectualMerit:Amajorsocietalchallengeistogenerateterawatts(TWs)ofelectricitywith minimalenvironmentalimpact.TheQuantumEnergyandSustainableSolarTechnologies(QESST)ERC willtransformtheexistingelectricitygenerationsystemtowardsasustainableandubiquitousoneby developingphotovoltaic(PV)technologieswithhigherefficiencyandnovelfunctionality.QESSTwill meettheTWchallengebyenablingalarge,sustainedgrowthrateofphotovoltaic(PV)electricity generationbycircumventingthetradeoffbetweenefficiencyincreasesandcostdecreases,allowing PVdevicesthatarescalabletocommercialproductionandwhichprovidearouteforcontinuous improvementsinperformanceandaffordability.Thefirstthrustsupportingthisgoaldirectly addressestheenergygenerationsystemitselfthroughdevelopmentoftechnologiesandpolicies IfNONE,checkhere OTHERSOURCESOFFUNDINGDISCLOSUREFORM FULLAPPLICATION 6 whichwillallowthescaleupofnovelPVdevicesintolargescalemanufacturing,enablingthePV industrytorapidlyreachTWlevelsofenergyproduction.QESSTssecondthrustseekstochartera MooresLawforphotovoltaicsviabreakthroughimprovementsinsolarcellefficienciesto ultimatelyrealizestructureswithdramaticallyhigherenergygenerationperunitvolumeofmaterial,a primaryparameterdrivingcostreduction.Finally,thethirdthrustaugmentstheothertwobymeans offundamentalresearchdirectedtowardsrealizingthetheoreticalthermodynamiclimitofsolarto electricconversion(~85%)throughavarietyofstateoftheartapproacheswhichovercomethe limitationsofsinglebandgapsolarcells(~32%).Theseinvolveadvancesinbasicmaterialscienceand defectcontrol,photonicsandlighttrapping,energyconversionscience,andadvanced nanofabricationandcharacterizationtechniques.Inthisthrust,wealsopursuetherealizationoftrue multifunctionalenergyconversiondevices,goingbeyondmerepowergenerationtoembracethe arrayofusefulenergyconversionapplications,producingstoredenergy,energyharvestingto supportautonomousdevicesisolatedfromthegrid,aswellascontemplatingunconventionalforms ofquantumenergyconversion. Broaderimpact:Successwillleadtoenormoussocietalbenefitsbybringingtogethermaterials, devices,theory,andmodeling,leadingtointegrationintohighefficiencyPVmodulesandadvanced systems.Thecrossdisciplinaryteamconsistingofmultipleuniversities,worldrenownedenergy companies,leadersinPV,andentrepreneurswillbuildastrategicpartnershiptogenerateinnovative solutionstosustainableelectricitygeneration.TheimpactofQESST,however,isbroader:allnewUS electricitygenerationfromPVwithin10years;significantsocioeconomicimpact,especiallyfor peoplewithnoaccesstoelectricity(~1.5billionworldwide);newmaterialdevelopment;fundamental advancesinunderstandingbasicquantumprocesses;and,mostimportantly,thetechnical knowledge,education,andnetworktobolsterU.Smanufacturing.StudentswilloperateaPVpilot lineforoutreachtohighschoolsandNativeAmericancommunitiestolearntechnology,markets,and entrepreneurship.Avigorousstudentexchangeprogramamongthepartnersandwithindustrywill optimizethestudents'prospectsforcareeradvancement.Initsoutreachstrategy,QESSTwilldevelop K12educationmodulesandbothundergraduateandgraduatecoursestointegrateresearchfindings intotheclassroom.ExemplaryofeducationalimpactwillbetheERCsinteractionswiththe Mathematics,Engineering,andScienceAchievement(MESA)Program,anationwideeffortto encouragestudentsespeciallythosefromunderservedpopulationstolearnmath,engineering,and scienceinnewways.Theprecollegeprogramwillintroducestudentstorenewableenergyconcepts, motivatethemtopursuescienceandengineeringcareers,andinspireprecollegeeducatorsto developactivitiesfortheirscienceclassroomsviatheResearchExperienceforTeachers.Intotal, QESSTwilleducateanew,diversegenerationofadaptiveproblemsolversanddynamicinnovatorsfor aninternationallycompetitiveworkforceinaglobaleconomy.