An International Journal Devoted to Photovoltaic, Photothermal, and Photochemical Solar Energy Conversion

Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells is intended as a vehicle for the dissemination of research results on materials science and technology related to photovoltaic, photothermal and photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion. Materials science is taken in the broadest possible sense and encompasses physics, chemistry, optics, materials fabrication and analysis for all types of materials.

Of particular interest are:

Solar Cells, covering single crystal, polycrystalline and amorphous materials utilising homojunctions and heterojunctions, Schottky barriers, liquid junctions and their applications. Also of interest is analysis of component materials, individual cells and complete systems, including their economic aspects.
Photothermal Devices, in the broadest sense, including solar absorber devices, heat storage materials, radiative cooling systems and their applications.
Photoelectrochemical and Photochemical Devices, covering photoelectrodes, photocatalysis, photoconversion and solar desalination systems and their applications.
Optical Properties of materials, including light trapping, texturising, solar concentrators which include imaging and non-imaging optical collectors.
Light Control, including systems for energy efficient architecture and daylighting, chromogenics and smart windows.

The pertinent issues are comprehensive and encompass bulk materials, coatings and thin films and surface treatments, from basic as well as from applications-oriented and manufacturing related perspectives.

Manuscripts of general interest not being suitable for Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells can be submitted to Refocus, which publishes magazine-style feature articles concerning all aspects of renewable energy. Please e-mail David Hopwood, Editor for further details (d.hopwood@elsevier.com) and visit http://www.re-focus.net.

Technical articles not specifically related to the materials aspects of Solar Energy conversion can be submitted to Solar Energy, the official journal of the International Solar Energy Society. For details, visit https://www.elsevier.com/locate/se-online.

This journal welcomes contributions that support and advance the UN's sustainable development goals, in particular SDG 7 (Affordable and clean energy)

Special Issue on Solar Hydrogen
提出日: 2026-02-28

Clean, green and sustainable energy is the need of the hour to address CO2 emissions and the overall impact on the environment. One such energy source is the hydrogen. Green hydrogen has the potential even to address the prominent sectors where emissions are heavy, like, the heavy-duty transport, heating, and power production. Among the green hydrogen technologies, Solar-to-hydrogen route is a promising path that harvest sunlight to produce hydrogen.Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells is bringing out a special issue on Solar Hydrogen production and related topics, with the aim of including it in the topics of interest for the journal. Research Laboratories and Industries are invited to submit their articles with the latest results to the Special Issue. For the guide to the Authors: Guide for authors - Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells) All articles will be Peer Reviewed as per the journal policy, under the supervision of the guest editors and overseeing editor. 

Topics proposed are:

    Photovoltaic-Electrochemical (PV-EC) Systems (including semiconductor-electrolyte interface, and materials)
    Photocatalysis: new and novel semiconductor based water-splitting materials and devices, single junction and tandem devices for water-splitting,
    Solar thermal and Thermochemical system to generate hydrogen: concentrated solar power to drive high-temperature reactions for hydrogen production.
    Photobiological Systems: natural photosynthesis of bacteria and algae to produce hydrogen.
    Solar hydrogen economics
    Any new and novel ideas on Solar driven hydrogen production, including PV-Hydrogen panels.

A limited number of review papers and invited articles will be included. Authors may opt for Open Access (as per the rules of Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells)

Hydrogen storage and transportation are beyond the scope of the special issue.

Guest editors:

    Dr. Caroline Sunyong Lee, Hanyang University, Republic of Korea; 
    Dr. Sudhanshu Shukla, Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC), Belgium;

Manuscript submission information:

The journal’s submission platform Editorial Manager® is available for receiving submissions to this Special Issue from 1 November 2025. Please refer to the Guide for Authors to prepare your manuscript and select the article type of "VSI: Solar Hydrogen" when submitting your manuscript online. Both the Guide for Authors and the submission portal could be found on the Journal Homepage here: Guide for authors. 

Timeline:

Submission open on 1 November 2025.
Submissions close on 28 February 2026.

Special Issue on Recycling of photovoltaic modules as part of a sustainable and circular technology
提出日: 2026-04-01

The recycling of photovoltaic (PV) modules has emerged as a topic of enormous relevance, driven by the urgent need to manage the decommissioning of millions of modules expected over the coming decades. As solar energy deployment accelerates globally, the end-of-life management of PV systems becomes a critical challenge for both environmental sustainability and resource recovery.This concern has sparked a vast amount of research and development (R&D) activities, diving into different routes and procedures to separate and recover the materials embedded in a PV module. With the cooperation of various disciplines, such as materials science, semiconductor physics, mechanical and chemical engineering and environmental policy, the goal is to support industrial initiatives that can make PV technology an example of a circular economy.
Aspects that should be taken into account when considering the potential of a proposed route to scale to industrial production are the diversity of source materials to be recycled, the throughput, the environmental impact of the solutions, and their cost-effectiveness, among others.

Guest editors:

    Prof. Carlos Del Cañizo, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain;
    Prof. David Fuertes Marrón, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain;
    Prof. Araceli Rodríguez Rodríguez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain;
    Prof. Eduardo Díez Alcántara, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain;

Special issue information:

This special issue will collect original papers and reviews to present the advanced research on the following topics:

    Innovative processes for the separation and disassembly of photovoltaic (PV) module components, including mechanical, thermal, chemical, and hybrid techniques.
    Technologies for the recovery and valorization of materials, such as glass, silicon, metals (e.g., silver, copper, aluminum), and polymers, with a focus on purity, reuse potential, and market value.
    Scalability and industrial feasibility of recycling processes, addressing challenges in upscaling from laboratory to pilot and commercial scale.
    Techno-economic analysis of recycling pathways, including cost modeling, economic viability, and comparison with conventional waste management approaches.
    Environmental impact assessment and sustainability metrics, including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), carbon footprint, and resource efficiency.
    Design for recycling and circular economy strategies, exploring how PV module design can facilitate end-of-life management and material recovery.
    Regulatory, policy, and market frameworks influencing PV module recycling, including extended producer responsibility (EPR) and international best practices.

Manuscript submission information:

The journal’s submission platform Editorial Manager® will be available for receiving submissions to this Special Issue from 1 January 2026. Please refer to the Guide for Authors to prepare your manuscript and select the article type of "VSI: Recycling of PV modules" when submitting your manuscript online. Both the Guide for Authors and the submission portal could be found on the Journal Homepage here: Guide for authors. 

Timeline:

Submissions close on 1 April 2026