PV can help environment by offsetting need to rely on electricity generated from burning of fossil fuels. Two distinct systems now entering PV market are based on use of cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium di-selenide (CIGS) materials in solar cells. The team at Sheffield Hallam University has increased our understanding of PV by showing how solar cells based on CdTe and CIGS structures work. Lack of knowledge in this area, combined with cost, has hindered widespread take-up of technology. Now team has opened up prospect of new solar cells being developed commercially with higher conversion efficiencies than those currently available.

Dr I. M. Dharmadasa, who led research team says: 'We've already applied for two patents and are preparing final draft of third patent in connection with our work, but there's a lot more science to be explored that could increase conversion efficiencies to over 20% in near future'.

The research initiative, Low-cost, High-efficiency Thin-film Solar Cells with Electrodeposited Semiconductors, has received initial total Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council funding of £104,632 and follow-up Sheffield Hallam University funding of £140,000. EPSRC is UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and physical sciences and invests more than £400 million a year in research and postgraduate training to help nation handle next generation of technological change.

With affordable energy provision remaining one of world's most urgent needs, advances being made in this area offer real hope for a future in which energy supplies are more widely available without drawback of environmental damage.

For more information, contact: Dr I M Dharmadasa, School of Science & Mathematics, Sheffield Hallam University, Tel: 0114 225 4067, E-mail: dharme@shu.ac.uk; website: www.shu.ac.uk/schools/sci eaching/as1/SCResearch.html EPSRC: www.epsrc.ac.uk/ Jane Reck, EPSRC Press Officer, Tel: 01793 444312, E-mail: jane.reck@epsrc.ac.uk.

Chapter II. Evolution of alive matter

The following significant period of evolution (about 3-4 billion years ago) was occurrence of alive matter which incorporates variety of a lifeless matter. At first sight, an organism and mentality of animals continued to evolve by means of lifeless matter principles from simple to complex with inherent in all alive aspiration to reproduction and self-preservation. Taxis (knacks of spatial orientation aside favorable or from adverse conditions of environment, for example, turn of plants according to daily movement of sun or change of elementary organisms movement depending on a chemical compound of environment) of monocelled developed in conditional and unconditioned reflexes (response of an organism to irritation) of multicellular, reflexes of elementary were transformed to complex instincts (the genetic incorporated programme of actions is started at concrete external conditions) of insects. And, at last, at supreme animals we notice abilities to training and decision of simple tasks, for example use of boxes by monkey for bananas gotten. The basic direction of mentality evolution and of organism evolution is considered increase of ability to fast adaptation at fast environment changes. Because of it is considered mammals are more advanced than, for example, insects. I’d like to not agree with this thesis. In a counterbalance of mammal ability to training and abilities of separate bodies to change of functions without genetic changes at insects is an opportunity under adverse conditions to be long time in an embryon or to be exposed to a genetic mutation due to fast alternation of generations. We can mark from it that all animals and all flora is perfect essences and evolution completeness organisms. We can observe completeness in monocelled colonies, in behaviour of plenty bees or supreme animals. The biosphere of our planet during evolution has gotten a homeostasis (the medical term designating balanced harmony of an organism). We shall designate two principles of biosphere homeostasis. The first principle is a principle of "narrow specialisation". Almost all kinds of an animal and flora specialise on rather narrow segment of food or inhabitancy, for example, being divided on herbivores and carnivorous. With help of it steadily-renewable ecological circuits are built. The second principle is "return proportionality between adaptability and ability to breeding". This principle does not allow to breed, for example, to large predators and to destroy all of herbivores. There is one more principle - "the god does not give horns for butting cow". The nature does not give superadvantage in bodies (powerful canines, claws or horns) and abilities (speed of movement, etc.). That can break a homeostasis (this principle can be related to first because additional abilities expand "specialisation"). The evolution shaped these principles during billions years. So biosphere as against a lifeless matter includes variety and forms unity through a homeostasis. The alive matter shows integrity at top level uniting variety of bottom level of system. Or otherwise aspiration to variety at bottom level is appeared in unity at top level.

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