REU Site: Solar Energy Research for the Terawatt Challenge

REU 网站：应对太瓦挑战的太阳能研究

• 批准号: 1560031
• 负责人: Zachary Holman
• 金额: $ 31.43万
• 依托单位: Arizona State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-04-01 至 2019-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1560031&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; Site; Solar; Energy; Research

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site for Solar Energy and Photovoltaics Research is hosted by Arizona State University (ASU) using the facilities of the NSF/DOE jointly funded Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies (QESST) Engineering Research Center (ERC). The challenge of sustainability meeting the world's energy demand-the "terawatt challenge"-has been described as the defining challenge of this generation. Many of the most pressing world issues today are fundamentally intertwined with energy, ranging from climate change to poverty. Photovoltaic (PV) devices are the most promising sustainable energy source, and have made the transition from lab to fab in the past decade. Provided that the PV industry maintains its present growth rates, it can provide all of the new electricity required by the world within a decade, and it can meet the world's total energy demand by 2050. However, motivated and innovative engineers in both academia and industry are needed to achieve this goal. The aim of the REU Site is for undergraduate students to be introduced to research generally and solar research specifically, to experience how the course work they are studying can be put into practice to tackle the terawatt challenge, and to practice how the principles of scientific research can be applied to any engineering challenge.This REU Site offers opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in solar research during a 9-week summer program, on topics that range from fundamental (e.g., new growth methods for the active layers in III-V multi-junction solar cells) to applied (e.g., degradation mechanisms in silicon modules in the field). Participants in the REU program will be immersed in this intellectual melting pot of ongoing solar research, both strengthening existing projects (e.g., high-mobility transparent conductive oxides) and being involved in the initiation of others (e.g., silicon-based tandem solar cells). The REU projects will be designed to cross traditional disciplinary boundaries-as photovoltaic research is apt to do-synergistically combining device physics, materials science, chemistry, electrical engineering, and sustainability. The REU students' laboratory experience will be enhanced by seminars and workshops that provide them with access to experts in a wide range of fields including PV research and development, the social science of energy usage, sustainability, and the solar energy industry. The program will also include a number of social activities designed to encourage formal and informal communication skills, collaborative problem solving and teamwork with colleagues from diverse cultural, geographic, and demographic backgrounds. Each student will travel to one conference or workshop to present his or her work. The REU will recruit heavily from the network of QESST partner institutions, most of which have substantial populations of students that are under-represented in engineering. Through research that crosses disciplinary boundaries and a diverse base of mentors, this REU Site will retain students of all backgrounds in engineering as they pursue advanced degrees and careers.

太阳能和光伏研究本科生研究经验（REU）网站由亚利桑那州立大学（ASU）主办，使用美国国家科学基金会/美国能源部联合资助的量子能源和可持续太阳能技术（QESST）工程研究中心（ERC）的设施。满足世界能源需求的可持续性挑战——“太瓦挑战”——被描述为这一代人面临的决定性挑战。从气候变化到贫困，当今世界许多最紧迫的问题从根本上都与能源交织在一起。光伏（PV）器件是最有前途的可持续能源，在过去的十年中已经完成了从实验室到工厂的过渡。如果光伏产业保持目前的增长速度，它可以在十年内提供世界所需的所有新电力，到2050年可以满足世界总能源需求。然而，要实现这一目标，学术界和工业界都需要有动力和创新的工程师。REU网站的目的是让本科生了解一般的研究，特别是太阳能研究，体验如何将他们学习的课程付诸实践，以解决太瓦的挑战，并实践如何将科学研究的原则应用于任何工程挑战。这个REU网站为本科生提供了在为期9周的暑期项目中从事太阳能研究的机会，主题范围从基础（例如，III-V多结太阳能电池中有源层的新生长方法）到应用（例如，硅模块在该领域的降解机制）。REU项目的参与者将沉浸在这个正在进行的太阳能研究的智力大熔炉中，既加强现有项目（例如，高迁移率透明导电氧化物），又参与其他项目的启动（例如，硅基串联太阳能电池）。REU项目的设计将跨越传统的学科界限——就像光伏研究容易做到的那样——协同结合器件物理学、材料科学、化学、电气工程和可持续性。REU学生的实验室经验将通过研讨会和讲习班得到加强，这些研讨会和讲习班使他们有机会接触到广泛领域的专家，包括光伏研究和开发，能源使用的社会科学，可持续发展和太阳能产业。该项目还将包括一些社会活动，旨在鼓励与来自不同文化、地理和人口背景的同事进行正式和非正式的沟通技巧、协作解决问题和团队合作。每个学生将前往一个会议或研讨会，展示他或她的工作。REU将从QESST的合作院校网络中大量招募人才，其中大多数院校的学生数量庞大，而工程专业的学生数量却不足。通过跨越学科界限的研究和多样化的导师基础，这个REU网站将保留各种背景的工程学生，因为他们追求更高的学位和职业。