Light management and the dream of photovoltaic energy for 0.01 euro/kWh

With over 1000 km² of solar panels generating 300 GW_p worldwide, photovoltaics is becoming an important source of energy for our society. The efficiency of solar energy conversion using single-junction semiconductor solar cells has now reached 27% for silicon and 29% for GaAs. However, so far no material has reached the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit of 34%. I will discuss recent developments in photovoltaic materials technology with a focus on how improved light management can lead to efficiencies beyond the SQ limit and can reduce costs, with the ultimate goal to generate solar electricity at a cost of 0.01 €/kWh. I will also report on what I learned during a 3-month sabbatical at the School for Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE) at the University of New South Wales (Sydney).