Research and Development

Fundamental to photovoltaic (PV) research at NREL are the physical mechanisms of charge carrier transport, band structure, junction formation, impurity diffusion, defect states, and other physical properties of PV and photo-electrochemical materials. PV research and development areas include:

• Electronic Materials and Devices
• High-Performance Photovoltaics
• Measurements and Characterization
• Performance and Reliability
• PV Manufacturing R&D Project
• Silicon Materials and Devices
• Thin-Film Partnership

Through innovative thinking and technology, NREL seeks ways to "leapfrog" current PV approaches. This cutting-edge research leads to new and non-conventional concepts that could dramatically improve PV long-term cost effectiveness.

NREL photovoltaic research is fully dedicated to meet the long-term goal of achieving $0.06/kWh grid-tied distributed systems. Industry, academia, and NREL partner to investigate properties and operating mechanisms of cell materials and devices. This teamed research approach works to identify efficiency-limiting defects in cell materials and analyze their electrical and optical properties.