(97g) A Future Solar Economy

Roughly 85% of current U.S. energy use is being met by fossil fuels. Furthermore, rapid increase in energy demand by the developing nations is leading to ever increasing use of coal, oil and natural gas. Therefore, alternate primary energy sources are being identified and developed to permit the continued functioning of the future world economy.

The presentation will first share a vision of a solar economy and its associated challenges for chemical engineers. Then our research efforts in the area of low-cost solar cells will be highlighted.

In a future fossil fuel deprived world, it will be particularly challenging to satisfy the need of the transportation sector due to its requirement of high energy density fuel and associated ease of handling. We will present some novel solutions to meet this challenge and sustain the current transportation sector. These solutions provide a feasible framework for a sustainable solar economy.