A Review on Current State, Recent Developments and Future Prospects of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

The sun is a primary abundant renewable source of energy for most of the life forms in our planet. By fully grasping the power of the sun, we can improve our way of life, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels or other types of energy sources and stimulate economy by bringing new jobs to all our planet industry. Among sustainable and renewable energy sources, solar cell, also known as photovoltaic cell, is one of the promising options of renewable energy and the most efficient. For the past several years, different photovoltaic devices like inorganic, organic and hybrid solar cells are invented for different application purposes. Regardless of its high conversion rate of silicon-based solar cells, the high module cost and complicated production process restricted their application. Research has been focused on alternative organic solar cells for their inherent low module cost and easy fabrication processes. Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is considered to be one of the most promising, efficient, low-cost organic solar cells in recent years. DSSC, being transparent to some extent and comparatively cheaper than conventional solar photo-voltaic, can be a potential energy source for the future. This review paper focuses on the working of DSSC, its current state and recent developments in the various components of DSSC. The perspectives for the future development of the technology have also been discussed.