High-efficiency plastic-based solar cells

In a breakthrough that could accelerate commercial use of solar energy, EU-funded scientists developed highly efficient dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) that can rival conventional photovoltaic devices thanks to the use of flexible photonic structures.

DSSCs are a promising source of clean energy, offering the potential of low cost and high power conversion efficiencies even under cloudy and artificial light conditions. However, it is challenging to produce DSSCs with high power conversion efficiency and high transparency at the same time. This limits their use in building- and vehicle-integrated photovoltaics.

Further details: High-efficiency plastic-based solar cells