Investigation of the organic solar cell characteristics for indoor LED light applications

Abstract

We report an experimental study on the current-voltage characteristics of organic solar cells (OSCs) under indoor light illumination. A daylight color light-emitting diode (LED) was used as the indoor light source. We investigated the short circuit current density, open circuit voltage, and fill factor of the OSC under LED irradiation and compared them with those for a crystal silicon solar cell (c-Si-SC), which occupy a large part of the solar cell market. We found that compared with the c-Si-SC, the OSC had higher power conversion efficiency (PCE). We also derived the maximum feasible PCE of an OSC for indoor applications and calculated that a PCE value of 21.3% could be obtained under daylight color LED illumination at approximately 200 lx. From the results of the calculation, it became apparent that the open circuit voltage plays an important role in achieving a high PCE from OSCs, indicating they are promising as electrical energy harvesting module for indoor applications.

Toward High‐Performance Polymer Photovoltaic Devices for Low‐Power Indoor Applications

“…Although the P3HT:ICBA‐based device exhibited lower photocurrents because of its relatively low EQEs, it still had a very high power output because of less “loss‐in‐potential” (the difference between the value of V oc and the band gap of the polymer). This finding is consistent with a prediction made previously – that increasing the value of V oc would be necessary to obtain high PCEs from OPV devices operated indoors . Therefore, we conclude that even higher PCEs might be achieved if we could design a polymer having a low‐lying HOMO to increase the value of V oc .…”

“…Among these technologies, photovoltaic energy has great promise because of its high energy density and relatively high output voltage . In particular, several emerging photovoltaic technologies, including organic photovoltaics (OPVs), dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and organic/inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells, might become efficient energy sources for harvesting low‐level lighting. In 2015, Mori et al studied the performance of OPV devices under irradiation with light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) and compared the device parameters with those of crystal silicon solar cells.…”

“…In 2015, Mori et al studied the performance of OPV devices under irradiation with light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) and compared the device parameters with those of crystal silicon solar cells. They predicted that a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.3% could be obtained under daylight color LED illumination . More recently, Cutting et al reported that OPV devices, which exhibited PCEs much lower than those of Si solar cells when measured under the conventional AM1.5G standard, could surpass Si cells – with higher measured PCEs – under LED illumination .…”

All‐Day Operating Quaternary Blend Organic Photovoltaics

“…OPVs that operate under ambient artificial lighting can be efficient electric power sources for portable electronics and wireless sensor networks . The unique properties of OPVs (for instance, low cost, flexibility, lightness, colorfulness, and semitransparency) make them very promising in this field compared to conventional PV technologies .…”

“…For instance, the light intensity is orders of magnitude lower and the spectra of the artificial light sources differ greatly from that of solar emission. Lux is used to quantify the intensity level of artificial lighting, and typical illuminance requirements for offices range between 200 and 1000 lux, which are a factor of 100–500 lower than 1 sun illumination . As a result, it is imperative to further understand the operational mechanism and find strategies to improve the performance of OPVs under ambient lighting.…”