The appropriateness of organic solar cells for indoor lighting conditions

B. Minnaert; P. Veelaert

doi:10.1117/12.854774

18 May 2010 The appropriateness of organic solar cells for indoor lighting conditions

B. Minnaert, P. Veelaert

Proceedings Volume 7722, Organic Photonics IV; 77221P (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.854774
Event: SPIE Photonics Europe, 2010, Brussels, Belgium

Abstract

Most commercially available photovoltaic solar cells are crystalline silicon cells. However, in indoor environments, the efficiency of silicon solar cells is poor. Typically, the light intensity under artificial lighting conditions is less than 10 W/m² as compared to 100-1000 W/m² under outdoor conditions. Moreover, the spectrum is different from the outdoor solar spectrum and there is more diffuse than direct light. Taken into account the predicted cheaper costs for the production of organic solar cells, a possible niche market for organic PV can be indoor applications. In this article, we study the influence of the narrow absorption window, characteristic for organic solar cells, for different indoor conditions. This comparison is made for typical artificial light sources, i.e. a common incandescent lamp, an LED lamp and a "warm" and a "cool" fluorescent tube, which are compared to the outdoor AM 1.5 spectrum as reference. The comparisons are done by simulation based on the quantum efficiencies of the solar cells and the light spectra of the different light sources. A classical silicon solar cell is used as reference. In this way we determine the appropriateness for indoor use of organic solar cells.

Citation Download Citation

B. Minnaert and P. Veelaert "The appropriateness of organic solar cells for indoor lighting conditions", Proc. SPIE 7722, Organic Photonics IV, 77221P (18 May 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.854774

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