Sarah Kurtz

Sarah Kurtz is a distinguished Professor at the University of California Merced and a Research Fellow with the National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). She maintains active affiliations with multiple professional organizations including the American Chemical Society, American National Standards Institute, American Solar Energy Society, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Dr. Kurtz is a world-renowned expert in multijunction photovoltaics (PV), concentrator PV, and PV reliability. Her research interests span solar cell engineering (100% focus), photovoltaics engineering (85%), gallium arsenide applications (72%), photovoltaic modules (68%), renewable energy systems (46%), band gap engineering (46%), degradation rate analysis (39%), and photovoltaic system design (38%).

Her recent publication activity demonstrates continued leadership in solar energy research, with significant contributions to understanding grid integration challenges, long-duration storage needs, agrivoltaics potential, and vertical solar canal designs. The publication trends show her evolving focus from fundamental PV materials to system-level integration challenges as solar approaches terawatt-scale deployment.

• Cherry Award (2012)
• Dan David Prize (2007)
• National Science Foundation Research Fellowship (1985)

Dr. Kurtz's research is supported by her position at NREL's National Center for Photovoltaics, where she contributes to select projects while maintaining her academic role at UC Merced. Her work has significant policy impact, with research covered by 36 news outlets, referenced in 2 policy sources, and discussed across social media platforms. She has mentored numerous researchers and collaborated extensively across the energy research community, as evidenced by her 414 research outputs and extensive co-author network.

Dr. Kurtz leads research within the National Center for Photovoltaics, focusing on advancing solar technology from fundamental materials research to grid integration solutions. Her team investigates reliability challenges, novel deployment strategies, and the systems-level requirements for scaling solar to meet global energy needs.