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CARBON NANOTUBES AND ITS
FUTURE IN TAPPING SOLAR ENERGY
Mr.SIDHARTH R.S.
S8 EEE
We waste too much With
the increasing concern
about the carbon dioxide
concentration and global
warming in the earth, as
well as the increasing
demand on energy and
the limitation of fossil
f u e l s r e s o u r c e s ,
researches have been
addressed towards other
energy alternatives such
a s t h e a m a z i n g
sustainable source of
energy, the sun. It has
been calculated that less
than one hour of sun
energy received by the
earth is enough to satisfy
the annual world human
demand of energy. The
solar energy is clean,
abundant and without
any harmful effects on
the environment. The
photovoltaic effect is the
process allowing the
conversion of light into
electricity, this process
needs semiconductors
materials in order to
convert the photons into
e l e c t r o n s . T h e
photovoltaic solar cell
technology with its
different generations is a
multidisciplinary field
i n v o l v i n g c l a s s i c a l
disciplines like physics,
chemistry and materials
sciences, beside new
emerging technologies
such as optoelectronics,
organic electronics and
nano electronics. These
technologies have been
tremendously expanded
in the last decades,
serving the development
of photovoltaic solar
cells and making the
field rich and attracting
f o r s e v e r a l f a m o u s
worldwide universities,
institutes and research
centres.
A solar cell (photovoltaic
cell) is a solid state
electrical device that
converts the energy of
l i g h t d i r e c t l y t o
e l e c t r i c i t y b y
photovoltaic effect. The
solar cells of today are
typically made of silicon,
a n i n o r g a n i c
semiconductor material
k n o w n b y i t s
environmental stability,
high purity and its
distinguished charge
transport properties. The
silicon solar cells are
d o m i n a t i n g t h e
Photovoltaic market
thanks to their high
p o w e r c o n v e r s i o n
efficiency which hits
25% as per the latest
report. In spite of its
market dominance and
high conversion rates,
fabrication of silicon
s o l a r c e l l s i s
complicated, expensive
and energy-intensive
leading to a costly
manufacturing. The lack
of a cost-effective energy
in the inorganic solar cell
technology has been one
of the major drawbacks
t h a t i n c r e a s e d
i n v e s t i g a t i o n s o n
a l t e r n a t i v e s a n d
promoted organic solar
cells researches. An
organic solar cell or
plastic solar cell is a type
of photovoltaic that uses
organic electronics, a
branch of electronics that
deals with conductive
organic polymers or
small organic molecules,
for light absorption and
charge transport to
produce electricity from
s u n l i g h t b y t h e
photovoltaic effect. The
o r g a n i c s o l a r c e l l
technology is now a
d a y s , a p r o m i s i n g
competitive alternative of
the inorganic solar cell
technology, specifically
in terms of fabrication
simplicity, cost and also
its ability to bend allows
it to be used in areas
where inorganic solar
cells can’t be used.While
working on organic cells,
researchers were struck
with a basic theory. If
organics involve the use
o f c a r b o n a n d i t s