Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells as Potential Candidate for Indoor/Diffused Light Harvesting Applications: From BIPV to Self-powered IoTs

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Advances in Solar Energy Research

Part of the book series: Energy, Environment, and Sustainability ((ENENSU))

Abstract

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSC) technology is a photovoltaic technology that mimics natural photosynthesis, categorically coming under third generation photovoltaics; while completing almost three decades since its invention, it has carved a recognizable space in the PV arena owing to its unique merits like roll-to-roll compatibility, relatively inexpensive fabrication techniques-using cheap and readily available materials, workability on flexible substrates, and excellent low/diffused light performance. Semitransparent Multi-coloured Dye Solar Panels stands as a potential candidate in the Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) sector, while the small form-factor devices show an excellent performance in indoor/artificial light, thus paving way for the self-powered indoor light harvesting Internet of Things (IoT) applications. This chapter builds an understanding on the DSC technology from a device to module perspective, reviewing the progress in manufacturing technologies, outlining its evolution as a potential future candidate in photovoltaic sector.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Agarkar S (2014) Dye sensitized solar cell: optimizing materials, methods and optoelectronic effects. Ph. D ,NCL Pune, AcSIR

    Google Scholar 

  • Chalkias DA, Laios AI, Petala A, Papanicolaou GC (2018) Evaluation of the limiting factors affecting large-sized, flexible, platinum-free dye-sensitized solar cells performance: a combined experimental and equivalent circuit analysis. J Mater Sci Mater Electron 1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Crawley D, Aho I (1999) Building environmental assessment methods: applications and development trends. Build Res Inf 27(4–5):300–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Rossi F, Pontecorvo T, Brown TM (2015) Characterization of photovoltaic devices for indoor light harvesting and customization of flexible dye solar cells to deliver superior efficiency under artificial lighting. Appl Energy 156:413–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Do SL, Shin M, Baltazar JC, Kim J (2017) Energy benefits from semi-transparent BIPV window and daylight-dimming systems for IECC code-compliance residential buildings in hot and humid climates. Sol Energy 155:291–303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis H et al (2013) Linker unit modification of triphenylamine-based organic dyes for efficient cobalt mediated dye-sensitized solar cells. J Phys Chem C 117(41):21029–21036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fabregat-Santiago F et al (2007) Correlation between photovoltaic performance and impedance spectroscopy of dye-sensitized solar cells based on ionic liquids. J Phys Chem C 111(17):6550–6560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fabregat-Santiago F, Garcia-Belmonte G, Mora-Seró I, Bisquert J (2011) Characterization of nanostructured hybrid and organic solar cells by impedance spectroscopy. Phys Chem Chem Phys 13(20):9083–9118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fakharuddin A, Jose R, Brown TM, Fabregat-Santiago F, Bisquert J (2014) A perspective on the production of dye-sensitized solar modules. Energy Environ Sci 7(12):3952–3981

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gabrielsson E et al (2013) Convergent/divergent synthesis of a linker-varied series of dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells based on the D35 donor. Adv Energy Mater 3(12):1647–1656

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GCell (2014) GCell brochure. [Online]. Available: http://gcell.com/wp-content/uploads/GCell_Brochure_G0201a_Web_2014.pdf.pdf

  • Gerischer H (1983) The role of semiconductor structure and surface properties in photoelectrochemical processes. J Electroanal Chem Interfacial Electrochem 150(1–2):553–569

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein J, Yakupov I, Breen B, Freedman S (2009) Development of large area photovoltaic dye cells at 3GSolar. In: 2009 34th IEEE photovoltaic specialists conference (PVSC), pp 000006–000008

    Google Scholar 

  • Grätzel M (2001) Photoelectrochemical cells. Nature 414:338

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grätzel M (2003) Dye-sensitized solar cells. J Photochem Photobiol C Photochem Rev 4(2):145–153

    Google Scholar 

  • Green MA (2002) Third generation photovoltaics: solar cells for 2020 and beyond. Phys E Low-Dimension Syst Nanostruct 14(1–2):65–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • H-Glass. h.glass. [Online]. Available: h.glass

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagfelt, A. et. al. (2012). Dye-Sensitized Photo electrochemical cells, In: Practice Handbook of Photovoltaics. Elsevier, pp 479–542. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-385934-1.00015-5.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Han L et al (2009) Integrated dye-sensitized solar cell module with conversion efficiency of 8.2%. Appl Phys Lett 94(1):5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hara K, Arakawa H (2005) Dye-sensitized solar cells. In: Handbook of photovoltaic science and engineering. Wiley, Chichester, UK, pp 663–700

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ito S et al (2008) Fabrication of thin film dye sensitized solar cells with solar to electric power conversion efficiency over 10%. Thin Solid Films 516(14):4613–4619

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jayaweera PVV, Kaneko S (2012) Fabrication of automatic electrolyte filling machine for dye-sensitized solar cells. Instrum Sci Technol 40(6):490–503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jun Y, Son JH, Sohn D, Kang MG (2008) A module of a TiO2 nanocrystalline dye-sensitized solar cell with effective dimensions. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 200(2–3):314–317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kakiage K, Aoyama Y, Yano T, Oya K, Fujisawa JI, Hanaya M (2015) Highly-efficient dye-sensitized solar cells with collaborative sensitization by silyl-anchor and carboxy-anchor dyes. Chem Commun 51(88):15894–15897

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kay A, Grätzel M (1996) Low cost photovoltaic modules based on dye sensitized nanocrystalline titanium dioxide and carbon powder. Sol Energy Mater Sol Cells 44(1):99–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khan MI (2013) A study on the optimization of dye sensitized solar cell. University of South Florida

    Google Scholar 

  • Kroon J, Hinsch A (2003) In: Brabec CJ, Dyakonov V, Parisi J, Sariciftci NS (eds) Dye-sensitized solar cells BT—organic photovoltaics: concepts and realization. Springer, Berlin, pp 273–290

    Google Scholar 

  • Kusters J et al (2007) Design of organic dyes and cobalt polypyridine redox mediators for high efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells. J Am Chem Soc 1(46):2–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee HM, Yoon JH (2018) Power performance analysis of a transparent DSSC BIPV window based on 2 year measurement data in a full-scale mock-up. Appl Energy 225:1013–1021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maçaira J, Andrade L, Mendes A (2014) Modeling, simulation and design of dye sensitized solar cells. RSC Adv 4(6):2830–2844

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mariani P, Vesce L, Di Carlo A (2015) The role of printing techniques for large-area dye sensitized solar cells. Semicond Sci Technol 30(10):104003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller N, Spivey J, Florance A (2008) Does green pay off? J Real Estate Portf Manage 14(4):385–400

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson J (1999) Continuous-time random-walk model of electron transport in nanocrystalline TiO2 electrodes. Phys Rev B Condens Matter Mater Phys 59(23):15374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Regan B, Gratzel M (1991) A low-cost, high-efficiency solar-cell based on dye-sensitized colloidal TiO2 films. Nature 353(6346):737

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pazoki M, Cappel UB, Johansson EMJ, Hagfeldt A, Boschloo G (2017) Characterization techniques for dye-sensitized solar cells. Energy Environ Sci 10(3):672–709

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pradhan S C, Hagfeldt A, Soman S (2014) Journal of Materials Chemistry A, https://doi.org/10.1039/C8TA06948D

  • Reale A, Cinà L, Malatesta A, DeMarco R, Brown TM, DiCarlo A (2014) Estimation of energy production of dye-sensitized solar cell modules for building-integrated photovoltaic applications. Energy Technol 2(6):531–541

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sasidharan S, Soman S, Pradhan S C, Unni K N N, Mohamed A A P, Nair B N, Saraswathy H U N (2017) Fine tuning of compact ZnO blocking layers for enhanced photovoltaic performance in ZnO based DSSCs: a detailed insight using β recombination, EIS, OCVD and IMVS techniques, New Journal of Chemistry 41(3):1007–1016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sastrawan R et al (2006) A glass frit-sealed dye solar cell module with integrated series connections. Sol Energy Mater Sol Cells 90(11):1680–1691

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma S, Siwach B, Ghoshal SK, Mohan D (2017) Dye sensitized solar cells: from genesis to recent drifts. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 70:529–537

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soman S, Pradhan SC, Yoosuf M, Vinayak MV, Lingamoorthy S, Gopidas KR (2018) Probing recombination mechanism and realization of Marcus normal region behavior in DSSCs employing cobalt electrolytes and triphenylamine dyes. J Phys Chem C 122(25):14113–14127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soman S, Rahim M A, Lingamoorthy S, Suresh C H, Das S (2015) Strategies for optimizing the performance of carbazole thiophene appended unsymmetrical squaraine dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys, pp. 17(35):23095–23103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spath M et al (2003) Reproducible manufacturing of dye-sensitized solar cells on a semi-automated baseline. Prog Photovoltaics Res Appl 11(3):207–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statista (2018) Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices installed base worldwide from 2015 to 2025 (in billions). [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/471264/iot-number-of-connected-devices-worldwide/. Accessed 28 Jun 2018

  • Tanabe N (2013) Dye-sensitized solar cell for energy harvesting applications. Fujikura Tech Rev 42:109–113

    Google Scholar 

  • Toyoda T et al (2004) Outdoor performance of large scale DSC modules. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 164(1–3):203–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UN DESA. [Online]. Available: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/2015-report.html

  • Vinayak M V, Lakshmykanth T M, Yoosuf M, Soman S, Gopidas K R (2016) Effect of recombination and binding properties on the performance of dye sensitized solar cells based on propeller shaped triphenylamine dyes with multiple binding groups, Solar Energy, December 2015, pp. 124:227–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Vinayak M V, Yoosuf M, Pradhan S C, Lakshmykanth T M, Soman S, Gopidas K R (2018) A detailed evaluation of charge recombination dynamics in dye solar cells based on starburst triphenylamine dyes, Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 2(1):303–314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang P, Klein Ć, Humphry-Baker R, Zakeeruddin SM, Grätzel M (2005) Stable ≥ 8% efficient nanocrystalline dye-sensitized solar cell based on an electrolyte of low volatility. Appl Phys Lett 86(12):123508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang M et al (2008a) High-performance liquid and solid dye-sensitized solar cells based on a novel metal-free organic sensitizer. Adv Mater 20(23):4460–4463

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang ZS et al (2008b) Hexylthiophene-functionalized carbazole dyes for efficient molecular photovoltaics: tuning of solar-cell performance by structural modification. Chem Mater 20(12):3993–4003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang L, Fang X, Zhang Z (2010) Design methods for large scale dye-sensitized solar modules and the progress of stability research. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 14(9):3178–3184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang G, Feldt SM, Boschloo G, Hagfeldt A (2011) Effects of driving forces for recombination and regeneration on the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells using cobalt polypyridine redox couples. J Phys Chem C 115:21500–21507

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang M, Grätzel C, Zakeeruddin SM, Grätzel M (2012) Recent developments in redox electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells. Energy Environ Sci 5(11):9394–9405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Energy Resources. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_resources

  • Wu J et al (2017) Counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells. Chem Soc Rev 46(19):5975–6023

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

S. Soman gratefully acknowledges financial support from DST INSPIRE Faculty Award (IFA 13-CH-115). We also thank DST for the DST-SERI Project [DST/TM/SERI/D46(G)]. G. Gokul and S. C. Pradhan thank DST-SERI for research fellowships. We also extend our sincere thanks to Director, CSIR-NIIST for the motivation and support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Photosciences and Photonics Section, Chemical Sciences and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, 695019, Kerala, India

    G. Gokul, Sourava C. Pradhan & Suraj Soman

Authors
  1. G. Gokul
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sourava C. Pradhan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Suraj Soman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Suraj Soman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar, India

    Himanshu Tyagi

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Avinash Kumar Agarwal

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

    Prodyut R. Chakraborty

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India

    Satvasheel Powar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Gokul, G., Pradhan, S.C., Soman, S. (2019). Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells as Potential Candidate for Indoor/Diffused Light Harvesting Applications: From BIPV to Self-powered IoTs. In: Tyagi, H., Agarwal, A., Chakraborty, P., Powar, S. (eds) Advances in Solar Energy Research. Energy, Environment, and Sustainability. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3302-6_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3302-6_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-3301-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-3302-6

  • eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation