Effect of dye on the efficiency of Grätzel cells

Abstract

Renewable energies are playing a critical role in reducing emissions in the energy generation sector. Photovoltaic technologies have reduced their cost due to the improvements in conversion efficiency, the cost of the materials, the economies of scale, and the investments made in research and development in the private and public sectors. The Grätzel cells are part of the third generation of photovoltaics. This generation of photovoltaics looks to achieve photovoltaic devices with great efficiency while keeping low costs using thin layer processes and non-toxic materials. One of the main features of these solar cells, also known as dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), is that the spectrum of absorbed light depends on the dye used and can be tuned, which have a big effect on the performance of the cell. This feature grants this device great versatility, which gives this technology a great potential to give energy to devices in indoor illumination and as Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV). The relevance and working principle of the Grätzel cells are presented in this text, as well as the steps that were required to build these solar cells in a laboratory setting.