Technological Planet (Javier Olea Ariza). Award for scientific photography category of Global Change and New Energies Cluster

The Sun is the center of our solar system and it is source of life. When The Moon sets between the star and the planet Earth an eclipse is produced. During a short period of time the day goes out and we stay in the darkness. At that very moment we clearly understand the capital importance of our star. Without it we would not exist. We are dependent on The Sun. The Sun is our main source of energy. It has warmed and lighted us for millions of years. In the last centuries technology has evolved exponentially, mainly due to fossil fuels. Every new technology outshines the previous. We are dependent on technology as we are on The Sun. The Sun will be still bright for millions of years. However, for life to be sustainable our technology needs a qualitative step forward so that renewable sources of energy outshine fossil fuels. We need to be dependent on The Sun. The Thin Films and Microelectronics Group of the Facultad de Ciencias Físicas of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid together with the Fundamental Studies Group of the Instituto de Energía Solar of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid have been intensely collaborating in the last years to develop new technologies in the photovoltaic field. More precisely, new intermediate band materials based on silicon have been developed and they will be integrated in solar cells with a high efficiency/cost ratio, initiating a whole new generation of photovoltaic devices.