In the near future, humanity will have to evaluate an energy supply system for homes that no longer depends on any power plant. The idea would be to transform every house into a small self-consumption power station. And one of the most ambitious projects will allow, in a relatively short time, load any device from one window.
The possibility that attracts the scientific community – which collects the legacy of the electronic engineer Nikola Tesla – consists in transforming efficiently solar radiation into electricity domestic.
A key advance has been the optimization of so-called dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) That capture light and inject electrons in a matrix of oxide nanocrystals.
The advantage is that these cells can be adapted to any surface. From a room window, a vehicle windshield or an outdoor surveillance camera.
While previous versions of DSCs relied on the direct impact of light, a team from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland has found a way to print transparent cells that catch the light throughout its spectrum.
This will allow one or more panels to be fitted into office openings to provide charging for your phone or notebook. Indeed, being sheets so thin, they can be attached to mobile phones, so as never to depend on a plug again.
And while DSCs have been on the solar PV industry’s radar for several years and there are several patents pending, EPFL advances could set the trend sustainable buildings.
And as scientists indicate, energy consumption is one of the main parameters of a society’s progress and well-being. Therefore, cladding a building with these panels would allow the television, the kitchen and the heating to be powered by solar radiation.
Dye-sensitized solar cells are not only transparent, but can be produced in various shades at low cost. Indeed, in Europe they are already used in skylights, greenhouses and commercial windows.
One of the forerunners of this technology is the International School of Copenhagen, which in 2017 clad its facade with 12 thousand solar panels of colors. With this they cover more than half of the plant’s annual energy needs.
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs): maximum performance
Mesoscopic DSC or dye-sensitized solar cells are not an invention of this century, they are the same ones that Brian O’Regan and Michael Grätzel invented in the 90s.
The merit of EPFL was to have expanded the operating capacity of this technology low light conditionssomething vital in countries with long, dark winters.
In addition to drawing light across the entire visible domain, they increased photovoltaic performance, which was a weakness of DSC technology compared to traditional solar cells.
Currently, the market offers solar panels that, on average, range from 13% to 22% energy conversion efficiency. A figure higher than that of a decade ago, but still insufficient to become independent of a power plant.
Improved DSC is now over 15% in direct sunlight and up to 30% with ambient light. The production cost is lower and they are able to maintain operational stability, at least during testing, for more than 500 hours.
The Swiss study, which may set a precedent, is called ‘Pre-absorption of hydroxamic acid increases efficiency of co-sensitized solar cells’, was published this week in the journal Nature.
The great challenge that this technology has to face is to demonstrate all its potential in a production model to offer an alternative to the use of surfaces for the production of electricity in a wide variety of environments.
Based on the natural process of photosynthesis, EPFL researchers have managed to improve the combination of two photosensitizing dye molecules. Therefore, they patented a technique in which a hydroxamic acid derivative is pre-absorbed onto the surface of the titanium dioxide.
The particularity of DSC cells is that they can be incorporated into active electrolytes or a solid charge transfer material.
The goal is to generate electricity by moving electrons from the photosensitizer to a storage device or drive.
SL
Source: Clarin
