dye-sensitized solar cells

Scientists at EPFL in Switzerland have achieved a new efficiency record for dye-sensitized solar cells. The group reported 15% efficiency in direct sunlight, and up to 30% under ambient light conditions. Their key achievement was the development of a new combination of photosensitizer materials that can absorb the entire light spectrum.

University of Cambridge scientists have created new databases for dye-sensitized and perovskite cells, respectively. They used the ChemDataExtractor text-mining toolkit to collect the data.

Scientists in Italy have developed a module with an area of 0.2 sm and an efficiency of 2.7% in outdoor conditions, with a tilt angle of 60 C. They designed it by considering the trade-off between low losses and device sturdiness.

The Swedish company secured $38 million to build a manufacturing facility it has planned with the support of Swiss conglomerate ABB. The factory will be located in Stockholm and produce the company’s Powerfoyle products.

The mini-panel showed a short circuit current of 58.1 mA, an open circuit voltage of 3.63 V, and a fill factor of 58.26%. It has a power output is 122.9 mW and an active area of 14 cm2.

European scientists have developed mini modules with an active area of 14 cm² and a 3.68% efficiency rating. The panels also have a self-adjusting feature that can help to mitigate the amount of light when they are exposed to full sunlight, or to the temperatures of buildings with large windows and/or glass facades.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new approach to improve the electrical properties of monolayer graphene grown by CVD that could be used in the production of more efficient and stable ultra-light organic cells. They used parylene to develop transparent graphene electrodes through a roll‐to‐roll transfer technique.

The Japanese electronics company has produced a solid-state, dye-sensitized solar cell for integration into sensors and consumer electronics. The company says the device can generate electricity from indoor light.

Swedish company Exeger says the dye-sensitized ‘light-harvesting material’ it will produce at its facility will generate enough power to prevent the need to recharge portable electronic devices, lengthening battery lifespan perhaps indefinitely.

The Japanese multinational lender is making its second investment in the Swedish start-up. The funds will help the company ship its first products next year.