Dye Solar Cells Make Oh So Fashionable Solar Panels

February 6, 2008 - Get ready all you homely solar panels, for you're about to get a fashion makeover via new solar cell technology that uses organic dyes and nanoparticles. Not actually intending to develop a "fashionable" solar panel, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Germany (the solar panel capital of the world), have been preoccupied with developing a solar panel that is better suited for faƧade integration.

And that's precisely what Fraunhofer Institute's team has done. The new technology uses organic dyes with nanoparticles to convert the sun's rays into energy. And since the nanoparticles are, err, nano-sized, the modules are semi-transparent. The prototype itself, which will debut at the upcoming Nanotech 2008 in Tokyo, is amber in color. The potential for other colors, and even screen printing images on the panels is a real possibility. While it's feasible to develop roof solar panels with these eco-fashionable cells, right now the technology fares best on window solar panels, which besides generating electricity, help to keep out unwanted sunlight in naturally cooled homes.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems makes it clear that the dyed solar panels are still a prototype. Currently, they are by no means suited to replace conventional silicon cell solar panels. With only 4% conversion efficiency, dyed solar panels still need more research and testing. Theoretically, they hold great potential. More "integrating" than silicon solar panels, which must be installed on rooftops, dye solar cells could outdo the energy conversion percentage of silicon cells, which is low to begin with.

For now, dye solar cell panels are being considered as a complement to a rooftop solar panel system. The hermetically sealed glass panes have already proven to function properly after several thousand hours under variable weather conditions. Only time will prove their long-term stability. However, one thing is certain. No other solar cells are hotter and more sassy than these eco-fashionista's.

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