title: Towards sustainable photovoltaics: the search for new materials.
abstract: The opportunities for photovoltaic (PV) solar energy conversion are reviewed in the context of projected world energy demands for the twenty-first century. Conventional single-crystal silicon solar cells are facing increasingly strong competition from thin-film solar cells based primarily on polycrystalline absorber materials, such as cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS). However, if PVs are to make a significant contribution to satisfy global energy requirements, issues of sustainability and cost will need to be addressed with increased urgency. There is a clear need to expand the range of materials and processes that is available for thin-film solar cell manufacture, placing particular emphasis on low-energy processing and sustainable non-toxic raw materials. The potential of new materials is exemplified by copper zinc tin sulphide, which is emerging as a viable alternative to the more toxic CdTe and the more expensive CIGS absorber materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AU, UK. l.m.peter@bath.ac.uk
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Peter
mesh_terms: D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D003246:Conservation of Energy Resources / Q000639:trends*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000639:trends; D003300:Copper; D004560:Electricity; D004867:Equipment Design; D005708:Gallium; D007204:Indium; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D012643:Selenium; D012825:Silicon; D012993:Solar Energy; D013691:Tellurium
chemical_list: D019187:Cadmium Compounds; C101792:copper gallium diselenide; C101793:copper indium diselenide; D007204:Indium; D003300:Copper; D005708:Gallium; D012643:Selenium; D013691:Tellurium; C028337:cadmium telluride; D012825:Silicon