The AMON-RA Project

Amon-Ra The Sun God

The Collaborative Project (CP) AMON-RA (Architectures, Materials, and One-dimensional Nanowires for Photovoltaics - Research and Applications) is intended to result in a new type of solar cell, combining advanced nano- and hetero-structures with silicon photovoltaic technology. For the first time, by applying state-of-the-art photovoltaics design to semiconductor nanowires, assisted with tailor-made theoretical modeling and advanced processing, we aim to demonstrate high-efficiency dual-junction photovoltaic cells made from previously inaccessible materials combinations, capable of harvesting an unprecedented amount of energy from the solar spectrum.

The main advantage of this approach is the freedom of materials selections, combining multiple compound semiconductor materials with different lattice constants without strain relaxation, which will make it possible to produce such cells relatively cheaply and on in-expensive silicon substrates.

If successfully realized, this technology may lead the way to solar energy systems that are much more cost competitive with non-renewable electrical generation, thus leading the way to broader adoption of this renewable energy source.

The project started on 1 October 2008 and runs over a period of four years. The total budget amounts to 3.9 mio € and the contribution from the EU 7th Framework Programme is 3.2 mio €. The project is coordinated from the Nanometer Structure Consortium (nmC) at Lund University.