NEW GENERATION OF PV CELLS AND THEIR POTENTIAL APPLICATION IN TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY

Abstract

Photovoltaics (PV) have started replacing fossil fuels as major energy generation roadmaps, targeting higher efficiencies and/or lower costs are aggressively pursued to bring PV to cost parity with grid electricity. Staring with first generation semiconducting p-n junctions and the second generation thin film cells, the third generation PV technologies may overcome the fundamental limitations of photon to electron conversion in single-junction devices and, thus, improve both their efficiency and cost. Even more, recently developed “inorganics-to-organics” 4G polymer solar cells, brought new challenges for development, investigation and application of such sophisticated energy resources in various fields. This paper presents some notable advances in these technologies, namely organic, nanostructures, polymer and dye-sensitized solar cells and their potential applications in the tourism and hotel industry.
Key Words: photovoltaic, energy efficiency, smart windows, hotel management