Abstract: A skylight for a building includes a solar panel arranged within the skylight, the solar panel comprising one or more photovoltaic cells to collect direct radiation from rays of sunlight for conversion to electrical power, and an optical element to receive the direct radiation and refract it to the solar panel, and to receive the direct radiation and diffuse radiation scattered from the rays of sunlight and refract the direct radiation and the diffuse radiation through the skylight, bypassing the solar panel, to provide daylighting in the building.

Abstract: A photovoltaic cell includes a front layer, a rear layer, and an absorber layer between the front layer and the rear layer. The front layer, the rear layer, or both includes a multiplicity of nanostructures having dimensions in a range of about 1 nm to about 1000 nm.

Abstract: A skylight for a building includes a solar panel arranged within the skylight, the solar panel comprising one or more photovoltaic cells to collect direct radiation from rays of sunlight for conversion to electrical power, and an optical element to receive the direct radiation and refract it to the solar panel, and to receive the direct radiation and diffuse radiation scattered from the rays of sunlight and refract the direct radiation and the diffuse radiation through the skylight, bypassing the solar panel, to provide daylighting in the building.

Abstract: Various embodiments of systems and methods for a solar module which concentrates light onto a solar cell while allowing diffuse light to pass to below crops are disclosed.

Abstract: A skylight for a building includes a solar panel arranged within the skylight, the solar panel comprising one or more photovoltaic cells to collect direct radiation from rays of sunlight for conversion to electrical power, and an optical element to receive the direct radiation and refract it to the solar panel, and to receive the direct radiation and diffuse radiation scattered from the rays of sunlight and refract the direct radiation and the diffuse radiation through the skylight, bypassing the solar panel, to provide daylighting in the building.

Abstract: A method is provided for manufacturing an etched surface. The method includes the steps of assembling a plurality of particles on the surface of a substrate and etching the plurality of particles to vary the size and spacing of the particles on the surface of the substrate. The method further includes depositing a mask material on the substrate including the etched particles, removing the etched particles from the substrate, thereby exposing the substrate beneath the plurality of particles, and selectively etching the substrate exposed after removal of the plurality of particles.

Abstract: A method is provided for preparing an etching mask on a substrate. The method includes dispersing a plurality of particles in an aprotic suspending medium to form a suspension and spin-coating the suspension on a substrate to form an etching mask on the substrate.

Abstract: Methods for preparing a substrate surface are provided, for purposes including manufacturing a low reflectivity surface. In some aspects, the methods include providing a material comprising an etching mask on a substrate, subjecting the material to a first isotropic etching phase, and subjecting the material to a first anisotropic etching phase, thereby forming a textured surface on the material, wherein the textured surface comprises structures with dimensions in a sub-micron range.

Abstract: Devices comprising: an absorbing medium (AM) having first and second sides; a first membrane layer (ML) having first and second sides, wherein the first side of the first ML contacts the first side of the AM; a second ML having first and second sides, wherein the first side of the second ML contacts the second side of the AM; a first contact in contact with the second side of the first ML; and a second contact in contact with the second side of the second ML, wherein a first band alignment mismatch between the first contact and the AM causes a first surface of the AM on the first side of the AM to be in inversion, and wherein a second band alignment mismatch between the second contact and the AM causes a second surface of the AM on the second side of the AM to be under accumulation.