Publication

Abstract : Energy harvesting is a promising technology to generate electrical energy for multifaceted applications. Earth-abundant materials as energy harvesters have been reported and studied over the past few decades. The scope of materials engineering, due to their unique electronic and optoelectronic properties, makes them a promising candidate. The performance of sustainable energy harvesting depends strongly on the solar attributes such as high absorption coefficient, lower recombination rates, higher charge collection, and separation. Sustainable renewable energy emits less greenhouse gases, making them the cleanest and most effective technology to prevent environmental degradation. As the energy from the sun is sustainable, one can utilize it without risking future generations. Solar energy is one of the best sustainable clean energy technology for large-scale clean power generation. This chapter sheds light on the basic understanding of earth-abundant materials and state-of-the-art applications such as photovoltaics and electrochemical water splitting. It also focuses on the recent advancements and the existing challenges.