For large scale photovoltaic power generation, abundant elements like silicon are necessary so there is no supply concern in the long run. Copper is such an element, as is O2. Together these elements form copper oxide, the very first semiconductor ever to be discovered. Copper oxide may refer to different compounds including: Cu2O, CuO, CuO2, Cu2O3. All oxides of copper are non-toxic and can be deposited as thin-films relatively simply and at low cost. Unfortunately, despite these attractive attributes, the highest reported photovoltaic efficiency for a Cu2O absorber device is only 5%. This low number means that the current state of the art copper oxide devices are not even close to being competitive on the market. However, since the detailed balance limit of the material has been calculated to exceed 20%, commercialization is a possibility with the right materials engineering. Here, a technology for achieving high efficiency copper oxide solar cells in a cost effective manner is disclosed for the first time.