Photovoltaics Research Laboratory

The mission of the Photovoltaics Research Lab is to reduce the cost of solar energy, through basic and applied research innovations in commercial and next-generation photovoltaic technologies. We specialize in detecting, characterizing, and manipulating nanoscale defects in solar energy materials and devices, thus engineering enhanced optical, electrical, mechanical, thermal, and magnetic properties of macroscopic energy systems. Our group leverages state-of-the-art facilities available at MIT and Harvard, in conjunction with national laboratories and academic & industrial collaborators around the world, to fabricate and characterize novel PV materials, processes, and devices. We transfer laboratory successes into actual solar power systems by working with the world's leading PV companies and the most innovative start-ups. Thus, we value both basic research breakthroughs (papers in high-impact journals) and applied research breakthroughs (getting our new technologies into production).

Given the urgency of global climate change, we prioritize near- to medium-term solar energy technologies, with a solid basic science foundation. This demands that we consider science, policy, and market realities when evaluating solar energy technologies and research thrusts. Click on the different terms in the equation below, to see what we are researching to reduce the cost of solar electricity.