Materials in harnessing solar power

Harnessing renewable solar energy through different technologies is greatly dependent on the advancement of solar grade materials' science and engineering. In this article, the prominent solar energy technologies, namely solar photovoltaic and concentrated solar power and other relevant technologies, and aspects related to various solar grade materials, influence of nanomaterials on enhancement of solar energy harvest, technology-market relations, development of hybrid systems etc., are discussed. The inspiration to write this article is not only to review the existing technologies to harvest solar energy but also to highlight the pertinent and possible solutions thereof, especially from materials perspective.