There are 1.3 billion people living without electricity, a large portion of which is in the bottom of the economic pyramid. Rural electrification via photovoltaic systems is one possible solution to alleviate their poverty. The aim of this article is to qualitatively investigate the potential for the transition towards off-grid photovoltaic systems. Two interrelated aspects are specifically inv...

A novel theory of acoustics in solar energy supporting the principle of source and sink of solar energy is presented. The significance of the theory is in ascertaining the aftermaths of turning off solar energy. An amplifier constituting of a parallel plate photovoltaic device connected to a potentiometer is illustrated. It was constructed with a pair of glass coated photovoltaic modules and po...

We investigate the quantum photovoltaic effect in double quantum dots by applying the nonequilibrium quantum master equation. A drastic suppression of the photovoltaic current is observed near the open circuit voltage, which leads to a large filling factor. We find that there always exists an optimal inter-dot tunneling that significantly enhances the photovoltaic current. Maximal output power ...

Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) thin films were prepared by a spin-coating method. Crystal structure and optical properties of the BiFeO3 films were evaluated using X-ray diffraction. The lattice constants, crystallite size, and energy gap of BiFeO3 films depended on the concentration of the BiFeO3 precursor solution. BiFeO3/CH3NH3PbI3 photovoltaic devices were fabricated to investigate photovoltaic p...

With the increasing installed capacity of desalination, the greenhouse gas emission for generating the required energy to power the desalination plants is also becoming the focus of attention in the world community. Domestic reverse osmosis membranes have been very successful technology especially in the developing world to provide safe drinking water. The novel concept of photovoltaic powered ...

Domain walls, which are intrinsically two dimensional nano-objects exhibiting nontrivial electronic and magnetic behaviours, have been proven to play a crucial role in photovoltaic properties of ferroelectrics. Despite this recognition, the electronic properties of domain walls under illumination until now have been accessible only to macroscopic studies and their effects upon the conduction of...

A proposal for energy management in an off-grid photovoltaic pumping and irrigation system is presented and evaluated for a specific case study. The system is assumed to be based on off-the-shelf components (photovoltaic panels, battery banks, DC/AC converters, relays, submergible pumps, etc.), with a microcontroller-based energy management system, deciding when to disconnect the load from the ...

Subretinal prostheses aim at restoring sight to patients blinded by photoreceptor degeneration using electrical activation of the surviving inner retinal neurons. Today, such implants deliver visual information with low-frequency stimulation, resulting in discontinuous visual percepts. We measured retinal responses to complex visual stimuli delivered at video rate via a photovoltaic subretinal ...