Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC)

Source: Controlled Environments Magazine / May 12, 2008
http://www.cemag.us/News_Articles.asp?pid=356

NanoMarkets, an industry analyst firm, has issued a new report that examines the market potential for solar cells using organic materials or a hybrid organic/inorganic dye sensitive cell (DSC) approach. According to the new report, the organic photovoltaics (PV) market will generate nearly one billion dollars ($US) in revenues by 2015. The report notes that 2008 will be the first year that organic PV products will be available commercially and that progress in the organic PV sector is being made possible by the substantial venture capital and strategic investments that have been made in this sector in recent years. Additional details about the report, including an excerpt, can be found at www.nanomarkets.net.

Other Findings
# Organic approaches to PV are now being taken seriously as a low-cost solution for mainstream solar panel and building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) applications. In the U.S. this effort is getting federal government backing from the Solar America Initiative. Meanwhile, the demand for BIPV systems is expanding due to their lower energy usage and reduced overall carbon footprint; especially in the UK and Europe where zero energy buildings are required by legislation. NanoMarkets projects that BIPV will account for $470 million in revenues for the organic PV sector by 2015.

# While the conversion efficiencies of commercial PV based on organic materials cannot yet match inorganic approaches (thin film for example), organic solar cells win out on low cost. Dye solar cells (DSC) are already the lowest cost of all printed PV cells types and “pure” organic approaches to PV promise even more radical price improvements. All this makes organic PV highly attractive for cost sensitive markets such mobile electronics and residential applications.

# Recent advances in materials and cell architectures for organic PV have also led to improved efficiencies that will propel organic PV further in the marketplace. The addition of fullerenes to more conventional organic PV materials is a move that will help to double the efficiency of organic based cells in the next couple of years. Novel dyes for DSC are leading to 11 percent efficiencies in the lab. Meanwhile, progress is being made in the development of bulk heterojunction architectures.

About the Report:
NanoMarkets” report, Organic Photovoltaic Markets is the next in a series of reports from NanoMarkets covering thin film, organic and printable photovoltaics markets. It quantifies the opportunities for both “pure” organic PV and DSCs in applications including conventional solar panel, BIPV, mobile and consumer electronics, military and other applications. The report covers the future of organic PV in terms of new materials and cell architectures. It also discusses the evolution of printing and other manufacturing technologies in this sector. Detailed volume and value forecasts are provided for each application, with separate forecasts for DSCs and “pure” organic PV. A capacity forecast is also included as are profiles of the leading technology developers and materials suppliers operating in this space including Aichi, Aisin Seiki, BASF, Bayer, Bosch, Botest Systems, DuPont, Dyesol, Eikos, Evonik, G24i, Global Photonic Energy, H.C. Starck, Heliatek, Ionic Liquids, Konarka, Matsushita, Merck/EMD, Peccell, Schott, Sharp, Solaris Nanosciences, Solarmer, Solaronix and others.