Description
The Shockley-Queisser model is a landmark in the analysis of light-> electrical energy conversion by the photovoltaic effect, specifically aimed at solar cells. By defining an ideal situation as reference for actual solar cells, upper limits for conversion efficiency are obtained. What is often missed or misunderstood, is that it is a model, and as such assumptions are made, five of them. If this essential feat of the S&Q work is missed, one gets titles like “breaking the S&Q barrier” which, given that the model is solidly rooted in thermodynamics, should at least raise eyebrows.
Contributors
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David Cahen
David Cahen studied chemistry & physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI), materials research at Northwestern University, and biophysics (of photosynthesis) at HUJI and Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS). His research focus is on opto(bio)electronic materials chemistry & physics, and on what can make such materials sustainable, and on the how and why of proteins as electronic conductors. An AVS, MRS and Helmholtz International Fellow, Visiting Professor at Chiba University and CeNSE, IISc, and active in energy & sustainability education and science for peace, he also heads, since 2017, a group at Bar-Ilan University.