13.6
13.6.1
Important disadvantages are a low efficiency, low stability and low performance compared
to inorganic PV cells.
Although organic solar cells themselves can be cheap, they require expensive
encapsulation materials to protect the organic materials from humidity, moisture and air,
which limits their industrial application. To the authors’ knowledge, no company is
currently producing organic PV modules. In the past, the US based company Konarka
Technologies produced small PV modules with efficiencies in the range of 3 up to 5%,
which worked for a couple of years only.
The reported efficiency record for organic solar cells is 11.1% and was achieved by
Mitsubishi chemicals [77].
Hybrid organic-inorganic solar cells
In this section we discuss two hybrid concepts, where the junction consists of both
inorganic and organic compounds. These concepts are dye-sensitized solar cells and
perovskite solar cells.
Dye-sensitized solar cells
An alternative solar cell concept based on organic materials is the dye-sensitized solar cell
(DSSC), which is a photoelectrochemical system. It contains titanium dioxide (TiO 2 )
nanoparticles, organic dye particles, an electrolyte and platinum contacts. Figure 13.27 (a)
shows an illustration of a DSSC. The dye sensitizer, which acts like an electron donor, is
the photo-active component of the solar cell; the TiO 2 nanoparticles act as electron
acceptors. Similar to organic bulk heterojunction cells, the dye is mixed with TiO 2 .
13.6.1
Important disadvantages are a low efficiency, low stability and low performance compared
to inorganic PV cells.
Although organic solar cells themselves can be cheap, they require expensive
encapsulation materials to protect the organic materials from humidity, moisture and air,
which limits their industrial application. To the authors’ knowledge, no company is
currently producing organic PV modules. In the past, the US based company Konarka
Technologies produced small PV modules with efficiencies in the range of 3 up to 5%,
which worked for a couple of years only.
The reported efficiency record for organic solar cells is 11.1% and was achieved by
Mitsubishi chemicals [77].
Hybrid organic-inorganic solar cells
In this section we discuss two hybrid concepts, where the junction consists of both
inorganic and organic compounds. These concepts are dye-sensitized solar cells and
perovskite solar cells.
Dye-sensitized solar cells
An alternative solar cell concept based on organic materials is the dye-sensitized solar cell
(DSSC), which is a photoelectrochemical system. It contains titanium dioxide (TiO 2 )
nanoparticles, organic dye particles, an electrolyte and platinum contacts. Figure 13.27 (a)
shows an illustration of a DSSC. The dye sensitizer, which acts like an electron donor, is
the photo-active component of the solar cell; the TiO 2 nanoparticles act as electron
acceptors. Similar to organic bulk heterojunction cells, the dye is mixed with TiO 2 .