Solar panels made from silicon are already highly efficient, but ultraviolet (UV) light is not effectively converted into electricity by silicon solar cells. The valuable energy carried by UV is largely lost. This project explores an exciting solution called down-conversion, a process where one high-energy UV photon is converted into two lower-energy photons. These new photons can be used much more efficiently by silicon solar cells. The aim of this project is to boost cell efficiency while reducing UV-induced degradation, helping solar panels generate more power and last longer. You will contribute to developing and testing these novel light-converting materials and see how they perform on real, industry-grade silicon solar cells.
School
Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering
Research Area
Material science | Photonics | Optics | Solar cell engineering
Suitable for recognition of Work Integrated Learning (industrial training)?
Yes
- Research environment
- Expected outcomes
- Supervisory team
- Reference material/links
Working in an industry-linked research project, experiencing full pathway from lab to real-world solar devices.
- Chemical synthesis and testing of DC materials
- Experimental demonstration of efficiency enhancement via DC encapsulants
