This book embraces a variety of materials concepts, from nanostructured and highly disordered organic materials to lead halide perovskite solar cells to provide an explanation of the operation of photovoltaic devices from a broad perspective.

The book establishes a simple but rich model of a solar cell and develops the photovoltaic operation according to fundamental physical properties and constraints. The book also establishes a more refined and realistic treatment of the many factors that determine the actual performance of experimental devices: transport gradients, interfacial recombination, optical losses and so forth. The book finishes with a short review of additional important aspects of solar energy conversion, such as the photonic aspects of spectral modification, and the direct conversion of solar photons to chemical fuel via electrochemical reactions.

Researchers from Empa and ETH Zurich have developed a perovskite-based sensor prototype that absorbs light almost optimally and is also cheap to produce.

The team explains that the working mechanism of the human eye, not very different than various image sensors, is based on three different types of sensory cells for the perception of color: cells that are respectively sensitive to red, green and blue alternate in the eye and combine their information to create an overall colored image. However, this mechanism has inherent limitations: as each individual pixel can only absorb a small part of the light spectrum that hits it, a large part of the light is lost. In addition, the sensors used in various applications have basically reached the limits of miniaturization, and unwanted image disturbances can occur; these are known as color moiré effects and have to be removed from the finished image.

Greatcell Solar, developer of solar technologies, was awarded 700,000 euro (about $825 million USD) in a European Union Horizon 2020 project known as Apolo. The grant to Greatcell's application has occurred through its 100% Italian subsidiary, Greatcell Solar Italy located in Rome, that aims to commercialize perovskite solar technology.

Much of the work involved will investigate advanced technology for higher efficiencies, longer life, and improved encapsulation of PSC-enabled flexible substrates, such as metals and polymers. These are all critical in the successful translation of the 3rd generation PSC photovoltaic (PV) technology from the laboratory to the factory and satisfying PV industry accreditation (IEC 61215).