Recent advances in solar energy harvesting materials with particular emphasis on photovoltaic materials

The use of solar energy, as an alternative to the conventional fossil fuel based resources, has increased tremendously over the years due to its enormous and environmentally benign nature. In an effort to make solar energy harnessing more efficient and affordable, various technologies have been developed. The solar thermal technologies have achieved very impressive solar conversion efficiencies and are fully commercialized. However, PV technology is still undergoing rapid evolution in an effort to achieve high efficiencies and to reduce the cost. New materials, concepts and approaches in solar cell development have become the center of research in this field. This article gives a review on the progress of PV technology with a keen interest on the emerging PV materials that hold the prospects for achieving high efficiencies at low costs.