Solar Cell efficiency with new polymer devices


India is witnessing a new chapter in the growth of the renewable sector, mainly in the solar sector. Hence, any new breakthrough in the field of solar cells and solar power generation is beneficial for India.

New technology is being developed in the University of Chicago within the confines of its chemistry laboratory by Professor “Luping Yu”. A new kind of solar panel was designed and manufactured which has a higher efficiency when compared with the currently running modules used for power generation. The given polymer solar cell consists of a new polymer, called "PID2". The new polymer improves the efficiency of electrical power generation by 15 per cent when added to a standard polymer-fullerene mixture.

New light has been shed on solar power generation using devices made with polymers. Researchers identified a new polymer a type of large molecule that forms plastics and other familiar materials which improved the efficiency of solar cells. The group also determined the method by which the polymer improved the cells’ efficiency. The polymer allowed electrical charges to move more easily throughout the cell, boosting the production of electricity a mechanism never before demonstrated in such devices.

“Polymer solar cells have great potential to provide low-cost, lightweight and flexible electronic devices to harvest solar energy, Solar cells made from polymers are a popular topic of research due to their appealing properties. The active regions of such solar cells are composed of a mixture of polymers that give and receive electrons to generate electrical current when exposed to light.

The new polymer developed is called PID2, it improves the efficiency of electrical power generation by 15 per cent when added to a standard polymer-fullerene mixture.

 Basically, in polymer solar cells we have a polymer as an electron donor and fullerene as an electron acceptor to allow charge separation. It achieved an efficiency of 8.2 per cent when an optimal amount of PID2 was added – the highest ever for solar cells made up of two types of polymers with fullerene — and the result implies that even higher efficiencies could be possible with further work. The group is now working to push efficiencies toward an additional 10 per cent, a benchmark necessary for polymer solar cells to be viable for commercial applications.

The results are remarkable not only because of the advances in technical capabilities but also because of PID2 enhanced efficiency via a new method.

This knowledge will serve as a foundation from which to develop high-efficiency organic photovoltaic devices to meet Indian future energy demands. India needs to adopt this type of technology for the solar division with the next target installation of 1,00,000 MW installed capacity.

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