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Student Spotlight: Cyrus Wadia
Student Spotlight Directory
Cyrus Wadia, PhD, Fall 2008, Energy and Resources Group.
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"Building a Better Solar Cell"
Link to Dr. Cyrus Wadia's Website
Snapshot
A post doctoral fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and an E.P.A. STAR fellow, Cyrus has been active in developing a new low cost photovoltaic technology using metal sulfides.
Cyrus’ work is 50% in the economics of natural resources and 50% in the aqueous chemistry of nanoparticles. He came to ERG to explore this unusual combination in order to inform fundamental science research on campus in a very new way. Cyrus has a deep sense of gratitude to ERG and the entire ERG community that has supported his ideas and made his work possible.
3 Words to Remember
Aggressive targets for PV growth, while noble, may be impossible with either traditional silicon based technologies or the emerging chalcogenide based thin films. Rather, there exist other material systems that satisfy both parameters of a least cost per Watt and high theoretical performance. These materials may also be fabricated as low performance alternatives to traditional thin films, such as nanocomposite photovoltaics. Such an approach will utilize far less material, achieve further cost reductions and increase the rate of production without sacrificing total TWh potential.
Cyrus makes a new batch of material for PV devices.
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One of the first all inorganic nanoparticle devices on a flexible substrate. |
The PV Cells developed by Cyrus and his colleagues satisfy the following criteria:
1. Cheap – based on material choice and recent advances in nano science, Cyrus and his colleagues believe they have achieved a material system that could scale at 2 to 3 orders of magnitude lower in cost than modern PV technologies
2. Abundant – the cornerstone of Cyrus’ economics work, all materials used in the PV system are earth abundant and non-toxic
3. Fast – by sacrificing some power conversion efficiency, this new architecture may facilitate a roadmap to TWh of production of PV in a meaningful timeframe
Idea Labs on campus
Cyrus founded a working group on campus called the PV Idea Lab in 2006. Subsequently, he helped co-ordinate a Bears Breaking Boundaries “Idea Lab” Contest where 7 new Idea Labs on campus were formed.
Pre Berkeley
Prior to his doctoral studies, Cyrus spent six years in the high tech industry as an engagement manager with R.B. Webber & Co. and a senior product manager with AvantGo. Cyrus specialized in launching new technologies to market and completed several successful new product introductions while with AvantGo. Presently, Cyrus continues his work helping companies take technology to market as part of an independent consulting practice he began in 2001.
Cyrus earned both his S.B. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT.
Links and Publications
>Sun Struck
>Collaborative Energy
>Synthesis and Photovoltaic Application of Copper(I) Sulfide Nanocrystals
>Berkeley Entrepreneur's Forum April 3, 2008 Google Video (Cyrus' segment starts 37:43)
>Ray of Light
9/08
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