6. Luminescence for photovoltaics (PV)

In recent years, the photovoltaic industry has seen an acceleration in investment in the production of photovoltaic cells and modules (more than 3,500 MW-peak of cumulative capacity at the end of 2007, over 85% of which in crystalline silicon, and a growing rise in the use of thin films such as CIS or CdTe), aimed primarily at reducing manufacturing costs with a view to offering the public grid a competitive alternative electricity supply in the medium term. Increasing the efficiency of photovoltaic cells is a constant for the photovoltaic (PV) industry worldwide. Today, the cost of electricity from PV is still too high. It is around 0.13 e/kWh, compared with 0.003 e/kWh for nuclear-generated electricity.

The solar energy that floods the Earth every year is equivalent to 10,000 years' worth of fossil energy at current world consumption rates. However, generating...