Third Generation Solar Cells

This book presents the principle of operation, materials used and possible applications of third generation solar cells that are under investigation and have been not commercialized on a large scale yet. The third generation photovoltaic devices include promising emerging technologies such as: organic, dye sensitized, perovskite and quantum dot sensitized photocells. This book introduces the reader to the basics of third generation photovoltaics and presents in an accessible way phenomena and a diversity of materials used. In this book one will find the description of the working principle of new promising solar technologies, their advantages and disadvantages, prospect applications and preliminary analysis of their impact on the environment. The fundamentals of traditional solar cell operation are also included in the book facilitating understanding of new ideas. This book is ideal reading for everyone who is interested in novel solutions in photovoltaics as well as applications of nanotechnology, photochemistry and materials research.

1. Fundamentals of photovoltaics. 2. Organic solar cells. 3. Dye sensitized solar cells. 4. Perovskite solar cells. 5. Quantum dot sensitized solar cells. 6. Environmental impact of emerging photovoltaics. 7. Applications of emerging photovoltaics - future outlook.

Agata Zdyb holds the position of Associate Professor at Lublin University of Technology, Poland and she is the head of the Department of Renewable Energy Engineering. She graduated in physics in 1993 from the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry of University of Maria Curie Sklodowska in Lublin then received her PhD in 2002 from Gdansk University of Technology in Poland. She completed the habilitation in 2012 at AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow, thesis title: "The research on the improvement of dye-sensitized solar cells efficiency". Agata Zdyb is author or co-author of over 50 peer-reviewed articles and 5 patent applications. She participated in 5 scientific projects, currently she is the member of Reviewer Board for Applied Sciences MDPI journal (IF 2.47) and guest editor for the special issue of Sustainability MDPI journal (IF 2.57). Agata Zdyb was the reviewer of 38 scientific publications. Her scientific topics of interest are: thin film solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), emerging photovoltaics, nanotechnology for applications in solar cells, photovoltaic systems, renewable energy sources.