Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Organic Photovoltaic Devices

Description

This lecture discusses the potential of solar energy to replace traditional fossil fuels, highlighting the historical perspective of energy consumption. It explores various methods of solar energy conversion, focusing on photovoltaics and the efficiency of different solar cell technologies. The lecture delves into the differences between inorganic and organic materials, emphasizing the importance of the donor-acceptor interface in organic semiconductors. It also covers the mechanisms of charge generation, the role of the solar cell microstructure, and the challenges and advancements in organic solar cell fabrication techniques.

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Energy engineering

Solar power: Topics in solar power

Related concepts (32)

Solar cell

A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical phenomenon. It is a form of photoelectric cell, defined as a device whose electrical characteristics, such as current, voltage, or resistance, vary when exposed to light. Individual solar cell devices are often the electrical building blocks of photovoltaic modules, known colloquially as solar panels.

Organic solar cell

An organic solar cell (OSC) or plastic solar cell is a type of photovoltaic that uses organic electronics, a branch of electronics that deals with conductive organic polymers or small organic molecules, for light absorption and charge transport to produce electricity from sunlight by the photovoltaic effect. Most organic photovoltaic cells are polymer solar cells. The molecules used in organic solar cells are solution-processable at high throughput and are cheap, resulting in low production costs to fabricate a large volume.

Solar-cell efficiency

Solar-cell efficiency refers to the portion of energy in the form of sunlight that can be converted via photovoltaics into electricity by the solar cell. The efficiency of the solar cells used in a photovoltaic system, in combination with latitude and climate, determines the annual energy output of the system. For example, a solar panel with 20% efficiency and an area of 1 m2 will produce 200 kWh/yr at Standard Test Conditions if exposed to the Standard Test Condition solar irradiance value of 1000 W/m2 for 2.

Thin-film solar cell

Thin-film solar cells are made by depositing one or more thin layers (thin films or TFs) of photovoltaic material onto a substrate, such as glass, plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are typically a few nanometers (nm) to a few microns (μm) thick–much thinner than the wafers used in conventional crystalline silicon (c-Si) based solar cells, which can be up to 200 μm thick. Thin-film solar cells are commercially used in several technologies, including cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), and amorphous thin-film silicon (a-Si, TF-Si).

Multi-junction solar cell

Multi-junction (MJ) solar cells are solar cells with multiple p–n junctions made of different semiconductor materials. Each material's p-n junction will produce electric current in response to different wavelengths of light. The use of multiple semiconducting materials allows the absorbance of a broader range of wavelengths, improving the cell's sunlight to electrical energy conversion efficiency. Traditional single-junction cells have a maximum theoretical efficiency of 33.16%.

Related lectures (49)

Solar Energy: Basics in Thermal Transport and Solar Systems

Covers the basics of energy states in matter, thermal transport, and solar systems, emphasizing the importance of electrochemistry in solar energy applications.

High Efficiency Solar Cells

Explores high efficiency solar cells, including C-Si and III-V junctions, epitaxial growth, and rear contact recombination.

Photovoltaics

Covers the principles of photovoltaics, including the absorption process, bandgap importance, and electron-hole pair separation.

Photovoltaics and Fusion Energy

Explores the role of photovoltaics in the energy transition and the potential of fusion energy for sustainable power generation.

General Introduction to Photovoltaic Devices