Luminescence for photovoltaics (PV)
Luminescent materials for lighting and photovoltaic devices

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 a significant fraction of the...