Will Sunshine Power the 21st Century?

International solar power researchers will accept the challenge of finding approaches to converting solar energy to electricity at the UNSW Third Generation Photovoltaics workshop to be held next month. The workshop will focus interest and intellect on this unexplored area.

The percentage of sunlight that can currently be converted to electricity using conventional solar cells is 33%, while the thermodynamic limit is 93%.

The workshop, held from September 23 to 29, is one of six events at UNSW in September which have used the Olympics to draw experts from around the world. They will address issues such as fossils and world heritage sites, improving eyesight; promoting science; looking at the future of the Olympics and planning the international future of tertiary education.

The workshop will feature a tour of the photovoltaic system created for the green Sydney Olympic site.