University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) Duscher
The University of Tennessee Knoxville is planning to join the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) entitled Center for Next Generation Photovoltaics which is a multi-university center comprised of the University of Texas-Austin (UTA) and the Colorado State University (CSU). The existing Center focuses on the advancement of CdTe & CIGS thin films, thermal process modeling, imaging, and nanocrystal systems.
The goal of this proposal is to seek NSF funding to for a planning meeting to allow the University of Tennessee Knoxville to recruit industry support to allow it to join an existing I/UCRC Center focused on Next-Generation Photovoltaics (NGP). Participation by UTK will expand the scope of the existing I/UCRC to include research on organic materials, thin-film silicon materials and artificial photosynthesis.
Low-cost, reliable photovoltaics would lead to widespread adoption of solar energy as a renewable energy source. Solar energy utilization is critically important to the future of the planet. It is also an excellent training arena for future scientists and engineers because it is highly interdisciplinary, necessitating communication and interaction across disciplines. The I/UCRC efforts will also be interfaced with key educational programs at UTK, CSU, and UTA, as well as leveraging capabilities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The industrial partnerships in the I/UCRC will be vital to the success of this program. The Center will have a team of faculty and students that is diverse in gender, race and ethnicity.
The University of Tennessee held a planning meeting to establishing an industry consortium on Next Generation Photovoltaics. This program was intended tp leverage the unique research capabilities and expertise at the University of Tennessee as well as Oak Ridge National Laboratory to address the technological challenges required to advance and promote the next generation of solar devices. Although the cost of solar energy has been decreasing steadily over the last several years, revolutionary approaches are required for achieving grid parity without subsidies. This consortium will explore technologies that can provide high conversion efficiency at a low cost over a lifetime of 25-30 years. As part of the current program, the University of Tennessee would be joining an I/U CRC on Next Generation Photovoltaics recently established at Colorado State University and the University of Texas at Austin. A planning meeting was held. Participants included members of the established IUCRC of Next Generation Photovoltaic and of the University of Tennessee. Possible industrial partners included established companies, a start-up company from Chattanooga. Also interest as industrial members was expressed from the Tennessee Solar Farm and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. A full proposal was submitted to establish this center but the grant was denied, because not enough true industrial companies were able to commit at the time of submission.
