New Organic Solar Cells Set Production Record For Solar Energy Development

Recently Chinese researchers have successfully forwarded the development of organic photovoltaics, made from carbon and plastic, and have promised a cheaper way of generating electricity.

Producers of solar panels have long used silicon to make solar panels because the material was the most effective at transforming sunlight into electricity. But organic photovoltaics, made from carbon and plastic, show that organics can now be similarly as efficient as silicon.

You may be asking yourself, what are organic solar cells? The title organic relates to the fact that carbon-based substances are at the core of these designs, rather than silicon. The squarelike solid solar panels that many of us are familiar with need fixed installation features on roofs or in level fields.

Organic photovoltaics (OPV) can be composed of composites that are diffused in ink so they can be printed on thin rolls of plastic. Also, they are very flexible and can be bent around a structure.  There is even a possibility for them to be incorporated into clothing.

Efficiency appears to be their only current hang-up in terms of scaling for the market.

Commercial solar photovoltaics on average are transforming 15-22% of sunlight, and at one point the world record of 26.6% was attained in Japan in 2016.

Organics have continued and remained at approximately half this rate, but this year has seen remarkable steps forward in the world of solar panel innovation.

In April solar scientists were capable of reaching 15% in tests. Now, this new investigation launches past that past 17% with the authors saying that up to 25% is likely.

This ramp of efficiency is significant because according to estimates, with a level of 15% efficiency and a 20-year life, organic solar cells could generate electricity at the cost of fewer than 7 cents per kilowatt-hour.

In 2017, the normal cost of electricity in the US was 10.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, based on a US Energy Information Administration statement.

What Is Different?

A primary feature that has made OPV less productive in the past is the case that the organic materials have loosely bound molecules which can catch electrons and slow down the production of electricity. So investigators have attempted to get around this by placing different layers of material together in a tandem cell procedure.

"Tandem cell means you have two devices built together in the same structure," said one of the authors, Dr. Yongsheng Chen, from Nankai University in Tianjin, China.

"We have two layers of active materials, each layer can absorb different wavelengths of light. That means you can use sunlight in the wider wavelengths or more efficiently and this can generate more current."

How Much Time Until Commercial Production?

Well, it would seem that the timeline of production is not very far away, says the team's participants. Dr. Yongsheng Chen parallels the OPV to organic light-emitting diodes or OLED. The technology as mentioned earlier has been injected into the concept in the past few years and is now widely used for high-end TVs.
 

In the meantime, there is truly no better time to invest in more conventional type panels, as it may be a while before these type of products come online for the major solar energy market.  So, check out what we have to offer here at HahaSmart, we can offer the best prices in the industry. Try our price checker tool and see how affordable solar really is. We can also help find qualified solar installers who can help save you money on the cost of going solar. Don't forget to visit our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles, about going solar.