Photovoltaics (PV) make use of the main resource available on our planet, solar radiation, to produce electrical energy directly, silently, with no moving parts. Additionally, they are light and have a long life. PV break one limit after the other and the total installed capacity at the end of 2015 was 227 GW with more than 50 GW installed just in 2015, breaking the threshold of 200 GW for the first time. Despite this growth only about 1.3% of the world’s electricity is produced by PV. According to the latest IEA report 23 countries have at least 1 GW of cumulative PV capacity by the end of 2015 and 7 countries installed at least 1 GW in 2015. This growth is expected to continue in the years to come.

Undertaking the task of revising a new edition of a successful book is a big challenge, both with respect of the effort required and also to assure that the final quality of the book will remain at the highest possible standard. The challenge became even higher when I was informed that the previous editor, Augustin J. McEvoy, a very well-known scientist in the field, unfortunately passed away last January. As a sign of appreciation of his research contributions in the field but also the editorial effort of the second edition we decided to change the title of the book to bear his name. As Editor of the third Edition, I would like to thank also the editors of the first edition Tom Markvart and Luis Castaner.

Concerning the modifications made, some chapters of the previous edition were revised completely, very few are removed as are obsolete and some others were modified slightly. The last category includes chapters for which the original authors did not want to revise them for various reasons and new qualified authors to undertake this task were not identified or none accepted. All these chapters constitute about 30% of the book. In all of them a note is added at the beginning so as to be clear that the chapter is basically adopted from the previous edition with small modifications.

You can read Chapter 1: Principles of Solar Cell Operation for a limited time on ScienceDirect.

The two steps in photovoltaic energy conversion in solar cells are described using the ideal solar cell, the Shockley solar cell equation, and the Boltzmann constant. Also described are solar cell characteristics in practice; the quantum efficiency of a solar cell; the optical properties of solar cells, including antireflection properties, transmission, and light trapping; typical solar cell structures, including the p–n junction, uniform emitter and base, diffused emitter, heterojunction cells, p–i–n structure, and series resistance.

McEvoy’s Handbook of Photovoltaics

• Presents a cast of international experts from industry and academia to ensure the highest quality information from multiple stakeholder perspectives
• Covers all things photovoltaics, from the principles of solar cell function and their raw materials, to the installation and design of full photovoltaic systems
• Includes case studies, practical examples, and reports on the latest advances and worldwide applications

The book is available now on ScienceDirect. Need your own copy? Enter STC317 when you order via Elsevier.com and save up to 30%