ChE Seminar: Dr. Bill Huber

Event Date: February 26, 2019
Speaker: Dr. Bill Huber
Speaker Affiliation: First Solar
Time: 3:00-4:15 pm
Location: FRNY G140
Contact Name: Davidson School of Chemical Engineering
Open To: Attendance required for PhD students
Priority: No
School or Program: Chemical Engineering
College Calendar: Show
Dr. Bill Huber, Director of Technology, First Solar

Dr. Bill Huber
Director of Technology
First Solar

"CdTe Photovoltaics High Efficiency & Low Cost as Multi GS Scale"

Tuesday, February 26, 2019
3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
FRNY G140
 
Reception at 2:30 pm in the Henson Atrium

Part of the Fall 2018 Graduate Seminar Series

Abstract

Over the past two decades, photovoltaics (PV) have successfully transitioned from an expensive, niche product into a low cost, high volume renewable energy source that is cost competitive with fossil fuel energy sources.  At present, the PV market is dominated by crystalline Silicon-based modules.  First Solar, the largest PV company in the United States, with a large manufacturing footprint in the Midwest, uses a unique, thin film, CdTe-based PV technology that is inherently low cost and requires much less energy and water to produce.   Historically, the efficiency of CdTe PV has traditionally lagged Si PV.  Over the past six years, fundamental Materials and Chemistry breakthroughs in CdTe PV have closed the efficiency gap with Si PV.  Moreover, recent advancements in CdTe PV have shown great promise towards further increases in efficiency, thereby helping to maintain CdTe as low cost, high efficiency PV product for the future.

 
Biography
 
Bill Huber has been a Director of Technology at First Solar, in Perrysburg, OH since joining in 2015.  He leads a multidisciplinary team focused on efficiency improvements for CdTe-based PV.  Prior to joining First Solar, Bill was a Principal Scientist at GE Global Research, in Niskayuna, NY.  While at GE, Bill made fundamental advancements in a wide range of disciplines, such as medical imaging, surgical navigation, flexible electronics and, more recently, CdTe-based PV. Before joining GE, Bill was a NRC Postdoctoral Fellow at NIST in Gaithersburg, MD, investigating single electron tunneling devices.  He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in Low Temperature, Solid State Physics.