Part II Interview With CRSP's John Benner: Four Institutions Lead Research Efforts

This is Part II of my three part Q & A with CRSP's managing director John Benner.  In this section of the interview, Mr. Benner and I discuss the four major institutions which head the Center for Revolutionary Solar Photoconversion's research projects.

ROBERT GLUCK: According to your website, staff from the four Collaboratory Institutions lead the research efforts of the CRSP. Please tell us a little about each of those four institutions.

JOHN BENNER: The University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and Colorado School of Mines are the state’s major research universities and they receive federal funding on research for topics and projects related to renewable energy and sustainability.

NREL already collaborates with them, and this structure both coordinates these solar research collaborations and facilitates joint relationships with promising solar companies.

RG: That staff develops technologies that substantially impact global solar energy utilization and CRSP researchers see these technologies focusing on three categories: 1) electricity production (photovoltaics); 2) photoconversion into liquid and gaseous fuels; 3) novel nanostructures and advances in nanoscience. Would you please tell us a little about what's hot in each one of these three categories?

JB: I’ve attached our most recent quarterly newsletter [pdf] that provides a couple of examples.

RG: The research areas CRSP staff members are pursuing include photovoltaics (inorganic and organic), photophysics, photoelectrochemistry, photochemistry, photobiology and nanoscience. For the layperson, could you define these research areas in simple terms and tell us why/how they affect solar energy?

JB: These are all fundamental phenomena that scientists aim to exploit to develop improved ways of taking the energy we receive from the sun and convert it to forms of energy society applies to feed, heat, shelter, move, light and entertain people.

You can read the rest of my interview with John Benner here: 

• Q & A With CRSP's Managing Director John Benner: Part I - Intro to CRSP
• Part III of Q & A with John Benner: CRSP’s Funding, Workshops & the Future

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