Solar cells have emerged as a substitute for fuels, generating energy which is both renewable and pollution-free at reasonable prices. On the commercial scale, the silicon-based solar cells are still being used despite their efficiency decreasing over time. With the advancement in technology, efforts are being made to develop new materials for solar cells with higher efficiency and stability. The development of materials such as multijunctions, ultrathin films, quantum dots, dye sensitized materials, and perovskites has opened a new dimension to the solar cell technology. These are often referred to as next-generation materials for solar cell technology. In this chapter, an effort has been made to address the various issues these new generation solar technologies face and why there is a need to search for various new materials in order to improve and make these technologies commercially viable.
On Orbit Measurement of Next Generation Space Solar Cell Technology on the International Space Station
