Technical Area Overview: Area 1: New Concepts and New Materials for Future Technologies Non-conventional PV conversion processes and devices: Multiple charge carrier generation, thermo-photovoltaics, hot-carrier cells, and other emerging concepts. Quantum structures (wells, nanowires, and quantum dots), advanced light management concepts (plasmonic coupling and spectral conversion). Area 2: Thin Film Silicon Based Photovoltaics Amorphous, microcrystalline, epitaxial and the other thin film Si technologies, Si alloys, including single and multi-junction solar cells, deposition processes, material properties, light trapping and modules. Area 3: Thin Film Compound Semiconductor Based PV CIS, CZTS, CdTe, Ternary and multinary thin-film solar cells; Theoretical studies; Process technologies for cells and modules; Characterization of materials and devices; Manufacturing technologies. Area 4: Wafer-Based Crystalline Silicon Materials, crystal growth, wafering, device process, characterization, modeling and simulation, manufacturing for wafer based crystalline silicon solar cells, reliability, feedstock; Sustainable strategy as a mainstream. Area 5: Concentrator Photovoltaics, III-V and Space PV Technologies Cells, modules and systems for CPV with high/low concentration ratios, and field testing; III-V materials, processes and characterizations for single or multi-junction cells including quantum well or dot strucutures ; cells and components designed for space and their environmental testing. Area 6: Organic, Dye Sensitized and Perovskite Solar Cells Organic thin film, dye-sensitized, organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells, printable solar cells and perovskite solar cells; Material and device technologies for high efficiency and high stability solar cells and modules. Area 7: Characterization and Modules Reliability Current standards for PV cells and modules, PV module lifetime, testing and calibration, failure analysis, power rating and performance measurements, design, measurement, uncertainties, traceability, solar radiation measurements, instrument calibration, reference devices, simulation tools, failure analysis and lessons learned. Area 8: Systems, BOS components and Grid Integration Performance modeling and field experience, forecast, balance of system components, grid integration, advanced PV systems and smart grid, off-grid applications, PV and architecture, system reliability and safety issues. Area 9: PV Deployment; Industry, Market and Policy National PV programs for dissemination, research and development, analysis of the PV market, industry, PV in the electricity mix, business models and economy of PV power generation, sustainability issues such as life cycle analysis, recycling and safety issues.