Jeffrey Mazer is an engineer with the photovoltaics program at the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, DC. His background is in integrated circuits and silicon photovoltaic devices. He was previously employed by Harris Semiconductor, the National Bureau of Standards (now NIST), and Martin Marietta Laboratories. His doctorate is in electrical engineering from the University of Florida (1981). He is the author of a technical book, Solar Cells: An Introduction to Crystalline Photovoltaic Technology (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1997). Jeff Mazer can be reached at jeffrey.mazer@ee.doe.gov.

Abstract
Grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) power is expanding very rapidly. It has now reached a level of manufacturing sophistication, product reliability, and installed system cost so that it is well-positioned to become an important part of the worldwide electric energy mix within the next ten years. Improvements in cost per unit energy, grid integration, and market transformation have accelerated in response to venture capital investments and government programs. Particularly significant developments include large-scale production of high-efficiency silicon modules and low-cost thin-film modules, the approaching commercialization of excitonic photovoltaics, and the deployment of utility-scale installations. However, significant problems still exist that impede the achievement of grid parity. This presentation reviews major problems and recent developments in PV technology. It includes a discussion of the U.S. Department of Energy’s efforts to achieve widespread domestic deployment and grid parity by the year 2015.