Advanced Photovoltaics
Information related to the PV field in industry can be found at Nanomech in Photovoltaics, a member of Nature Network, a tool from the journal Nature.
Brownson Education at Penn State:
Energy Materials
Materials for energy, particularly related to solar energy technologies requires a multidiscliplinary approach.
Present and Future
General Statement · Work in Progress
This site is still under development.
Plans for 2009 · Solar Decathlon!
We are applying to compete a second time!
Contact Information if you would like to contact our group for outreach, consulting, or otherwise.
Graduate Education
At this time, I am not offering graduate level courses.
Undergraduate Courses
EGEE 437: Fundamentals of Renewable Energy (How Do We Convert Energy from the Sun?): Interested in solar energy use for electricity (photovoltaics), heat, and biomass production? Join us to develop an understanding of the technologies that underscore the use of the Sun for energy conversion in society.This course examines the fundamentals of renewable energy conversion processes from basic concepts to implementation in different scales and the associated environmental impacts. Students will build a foundation for all renewable energy processes with emphasis on solar and biomass energy. Passive and active solar thermal energy, solar thermal electric systems, solar photovoltaic systems (current theory and design for electricity conversion in traditional and non-silicon devices, including dye-sensitized solar cells) and biomass/biofuels will be discussed.
[Offered Spring 2008]
EGEE 455: Materials for Energy Applications Our energy technologies are dependent upon interesting materials for energy conversion, transmission, and storage. We will be covering key principles and technologies for materials relevant to energy applications, including membranes, nanoparticulate catalysts, supercapacitors, adsorbents, and semiconductors.
[Offered Fall 2008]
Undergraduate Courses
EM SC 100S: EMS First-Year Seminar Energy, Materials, and the Environment:
Today, Earth has 6.6 billion humans, and by the time this freshman class is 60 years old (~2050) the planet will house over 9 billion people. Today, people consume 15 trillion Watts of power across the planet. This is the equivalent of everyone on the planet running a dishwasher while playing Guitar Hero on an Xbox 360. But in 2050, the power demands will almost double current values. Additionally, we are charged to reduce our current rate of fossil fuel combustion and supplement it with carbon-neutral energy supplies to avoid climate changes that will adversely affect the well being of society. We will require new technologies and materials for this amazing challenge of energy conversion.
All technology comes at a cost of time, finances, and materials. Materials allow us to access useful energy and technologies that provide for the basic needs that drive our economies and support life on the planet. We can define five global reservoirs that all societies require: air, water, soil, minerals for materials, and energy. Intense demands for each of these have placed enormous pressures on government and industries to develop technological advancements to maintain them. It is our goal to assess those reservoirs, determining the advanced tools required for their maintenance, both on a personal and industrial scale. We will also be covering the various material requirements for energy technologies, and also address the professional ethics of using current technologies and developing new solutions.
[Offered Spring 2008]
Educational Outreach
Teachers of high school and middle school interested in developing educational material for solar energy and renewables, please feel free to contact us.
My efforts include outreach and recruiting for the undergraduate programs of the Department of Energy & Mineral Engineering. Interested candidates (new undergrads, high school students and parents included) should feel free to contact me by email or phone with questions, or to discuss the exciting and diverse undergraduate opportunities within EME.