OPV

Ribes Tech, a spinoff of the Italian Institute of Technology, has established a roll-to-roll process to produce organic photovoltaic modules that it says can be expanded to enable volume production of PV modules for indoor sensors, trackers, and electronic devices.

A recent industry event about organic, perovskite, and other emerging cell technologies hosted by TechBlick revealed advances in power conversion efficiencies, stability, availability of materials, and specialized manufacturing equipment. The event also showed that the number of startup companies, new products and new pilot lines is increasing at a fast pace.

Danish researchers report that treating non-fullerene acceptor-based organic solar cells with vitamin C provides an antioxidant activity that alleviates the degradative processes arising from heat, light, and oxygen exposure. The cell achieved a power conversion efficiency of 9.97 %, an open-circuit voltage of 0.69 V, a short-circuit current density of 21.57 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 66%.

An international research team claims to have achieved greater stability in organic solar cells made with an electron transport layer doped with two-dimensional titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx) – also known as “2D MXenes.” They used green solvents and an MXenes material known as titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx).

Hering Group, a centuries-old German construction and engineering company, says it has acquired the PV manufacturing facilities of organic solar film developer Asca, based in Kitzingen, Germany. The previous owners of the facilities describe Asca as a “largely loss-making” venture lacking in sales.

Sweden-based Epishine has launched a developer kit based on its 6-cell 50 mm x 50 mm organic PV module for prototyping and testing its use in battery-free indoor sensing and monitoring devices.

Dracula Technologies has built an organic photovoltaic (OPV) module factory in France to make OPV devices with digital printing technology for connected objects. The facility can produce up to 150 million cm² of OPV modules per year, with the first shipments scheduled to start in 2024.

Scientists in Germany have achieved 12.6% efficiency with a 26 sq cm organic panel and 11.7% for a 204 sq cm device. The feats were achieved with a new module layout and a slower, high-resolution, short-pulse laser structuring process.

Researchers in South Korea have used the process to increase performance and the replicability of large-area organic cells. The method was used during film formation to speed up solvent evaporation.

Researchers at the Italian oil group are trying to improve organic photovoltaics and luminescent solar concentrators and a new supercomputer with sophisticated algorithms will help them with the solar energy puzzle.