Improvement of the Efficiency of Dyed Mono Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell by Covering it with Natural Plants Pigments

Abstract

A new model of dyed silicon solar cell has been designed from a bared mono-crystalline silicon cell. The current-voltage (I - V) characterization of the cell is performed with standard artificial solar radiation. The solar cell is connected with four prop computerized Source-Measure Unit (SMU) for Auto- measuring efficiency of our cells. Measurements have been done at stable solar radiation intensity, constant temperatures (-25°C), using different cell's area, and different natural plant pigments. Monitoring of the efficiency of solar cell with layer of pigments have been done with different period of time (20 days), an increase in the efficiency (up to 50%) has been found for some pigments, and botanical scientific name of the plants found. This research work is based on photo-electrochemical processes in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) field but in a very attainable method. Different silicon blank cells washed with solvents and covered with large number of different plant pigments as a thin layer. Efficiency has been optimized automatically by SMU as a result of changes in efficiencies as a function of physical variable, stability of dyes with irradiation time. Only Stable pigments with highly efficiency is studied in this research, as it might be technologically applicable.