Ajeet Rohatgi
Georgia Tech Regents' Professor Ajeet Rohatgi's sunny disposition just might come from his academic "passion" of photovoltaics (PV), which uses technology such as solar cells to produce electric power from sunlight.
"PV provides a unique opportunity to solve energy and environmental problems simultaneously," says Rohatgi, a professor in Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "I got into PV because I felt PV can benefit mankind."
His interest in sustainable energy sources began in India where he witnessed many communities that didn't have sustained access to energy. "It provided the driving force within me," he says of his continued desire to help solve the world's energy problems.
"When I came to Georgia Tech in 1985, there was no active research in PV, so I started the PV program from scratch," explains Rohatgi. Over the course of several years, he established facilities for the characterization of PV materials, computer modeling of solar cells, and complete fabrication and testing of solar cells. "That was a challenging but rewarding task," he says.
It was rewarding because in 1992, the Department of Energy (DoE) awarded Georgia Tech the nation's first University Center of Excellence in PV for sustained contributions to the science and technology of PV. "Having a DoE PV Center gives Georgia Tech a solid reputation in this field," says Rohatgi.
In 1996, the Center achieved another milestone, with the design and construction of what was then the world's largest rooftop PV system for Tech's Aquatic Center in honor of the Olympics.
Rohatgi plans to expand the Center's research and development efforts from small-area cells to large-area commercial cells, focusing on producing high-efficiency cells on cheaper materials and developing low-cost manufacturing processes without sacrificing cell efficiency.
In addition to his work with the Center, Rohatgi also makes time for spreading the word about energy on-campus as a member of the Strategic Energy Initiative's Advisory Council, and a coordinator of campus-wide student energy activities through Tech's Institute for Sustainable Technology and Development. He's also an advisor to students building solar car on campus and students on Tech's Solar Decathlon team, who will build a solar house that will be transported to the Mall in Washington, D.C., to be judged by energy experts.
"We have a lot of expertise in the area of sustainable energy on campus, and if we could coordinate activities, we would be a formidable force in this field," says Rohatgi.
Links
Ajeet Rohatgi's Web page at the School of Electical and Computer Engineering