Solar Fuels and Next Generation Photovoltaics: The UNC-CH Energy Frontier Research Center
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Solar Fuels and Next Generation Photovoltaics: The UNC-CH Energy Frontier Research Center Thomas J. Meyer • John M. Papanikolas Catherine M. Heyer
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Received: 11 October 2010 / Accepted: 29 October 2010 / Published online: 24 November 2010 The Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Abstract The UNC Energy Frontier Research Center: ‘‘Solar Fuels and Next Generation Photovoltaics’’ is funded by a $17.5 M grant from the US Department of Energy. Its mission is to conduct basic research that will enable a revolution in the collection and conversion of sunlight into storable solar fuels and electricity. Keywords Solar fuels Solar energy Photovoltaics EFRC Catalysis
1 Introduction On August 1, 2009 the UNC Energy Frontier Research Center in ‘‘Solar Fuels and Next Generation Photovoltaics’’ (www.efrc.unc.edu) began its life as a research center with a $17.5 M grant from the US Department of Energy for five years. It is one of 46 EFRCs funded by DOE through its basic energy sciences (BES) division and the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The UNC EFRC is located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) as a multi-faculty, integrated, collaborative research venture with participants in chemistry, physics and astronomy, and materials science at UNC-CH and faculty and staff collaborators at Duke University, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University, Research Triangle Institute, and the University of Florida. The goal of the EFRC is to ‘‘Provide the basic research to enable a revolution in the collection and conversion of T. J. Meyer (&) J. M. Papanikolas C. M. Heyer Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA e-mail: [email protected]
sunlight into storable solar fuels and electricity.’’ The Center was constructed from existing research strengths at the partner institutions in chemical reactivity and catalysis, electrochemistry, semiconductors, polymers, and theory. A list of research accomplishments by the partners, cited in the initial proposal, is shown in Table 1. Solar fuels and new approaches to photovoltaics were obvious themes. They had significant potential for breakthroughs that could enable solar energy to be viable. Both present unique research challenges requiring basic research breakthroughs and the ability to move them quickly to the marketplace. Wide ranging research at this scale with an eye toward translation is not a characteristic of academic research centers. Our first discussions were about organization and structure. How could we utilize the strengths of academia and academic research to explore multi-dimensional, longrange research problems and bridge the gap to translation and real world applications? The Center adopted the following Vision Statement: Center Vision: The UNC EFRC will become a nationally and internationally recognized Center for breakthrough solar energy research. It will combine, in one management and support structure
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