The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree is offered in all faculties of the University of New South Wales and encourages initiative and originality in research. Candidates should make a significant contribution to knowledge in their field. This program involves a minimum of three years full-time study. Students undertake supervised research leading to the production of the thesis. The length of a doctoral thesis normally should not exceed 100,000 words of text and should be submitted for examination within 4 years of full-time study. Photovoltaic devices, otherwise known as solar cells, are devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity and are capable of powering essentially any electrical load. Photovoltaic Engineering is concerned with the production and use of solar cells and the design and implementation of photovoltaic systems. Solar energy is a major renewable energy resource which may be harnessed and used in many ways. UNSW has been a world leader in silicon solar cell research for approximately 15 years, and developed the most successfully commercialised photovoltaic technology throughout the same period. Photovoltaic Engineering covers a broad range of engineering tasks and disciplines but it can be summarised into 5 main areas: Device and system research and development. Manufacturing, quality control and reliability. PV system design (computer based), modelling, integration, analysis, implementation, fault diagnosis and monitoring. Policy, financing, marketing, management, consulting, training and education. Using the full range of renewable energy technologies including alternate energy technologies (such as wind, biomass and solar thermal) solar architecture, energy efficient building design and sustainable energy. Typical duration 3 to 4 Years