Speakers
Matthew Escarra, PhD
Matthew Escarra is an associate professor in Physics and Engineering Physics at Tulane University, where he also serves as the faculty director of the Tulane Micro/Nanofabrication Facility. He received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering at Princeton University in 2011, where he made advances in the performance of quantum cascade lasers and mid-infrared metamaterials. He went on to complete postdoctoral training at the California Institute of Technology, where he developed new approaches to high efficiency solar energy conversion using spectrum splitting photonic structures. He also has worked with several companies, small and large, to commercialize related technologies, including Daylight Solutions, Otherlab, Dow Chemical, and Boeing-Spectrolab. He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER award and a Senior Member of IEEE and Optica. At Tulane, his research team has developed a spectrum-splitting solar cogeneration system that converts sunlight to steam and electricity with 85% efficiency. His team also has made advancements in low-loss and phase-change metasurfaces and in large area optoelectronics from two-dimensional semiconductors.
Presentation Description
Fully Using Solar Energy: Capture More to Do MoreThe sun provides Earth with almost 6000 times the energy that is needed by all of humanity. Yet the vast majority of our use of it is accomplished with low capture efficiency (~20%) and only for electricity production. In this talk, I'll present strategies to achieve 85% efficient capture while more fully energizing the broader economy.
