Organic-Based Photovoltaics: Toward Low-Cost Power Generation
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Organic-Based
Photovoltaics: Toward Low-Cost Power Generation
Sean E. Shaheen, David S. Ginley, and Ghassan E. Jabbour, Guest Editors Abstract Harvesting energy directly from sunlight using photovoltaic technology is a way to address growing global energy needs with a renewable resource while minimizing detrimental effects on the environment by reducing atmospheric emissions. This issue of MRS Bulletin on “Organic-Based Photovoltaics” looks at a new generation of solar cells that have the potential to be produced inexpensively. Recent advances in solar power conversion efficiencies have propelled organic-based photovoltaics out of the realm of strictly fundamental research at the university level and into the industrial laboratory setting. Fabricated from organic materials—polymers and molecules—these devices are potentially easier to manufacture than current technologies based on silicon or other materials. In this introductory article, we describe the motivation for pursuing research in this field and provide an overview of the various technical approaches that have been developed to date. We conclude by discussing the challenges that need to be overcome in order for organic photovoltaics to realize their potential as an economically viable path to harvesting energy from sunlight. Keywords: electron acceptors, energy production, excitons, metal oxide semiconductors, nanostructures, organic semiconductors, photovoltaics, polymers, power generation, quantum dots, solar cells.
Introduction Harvesting energy directly from sunlight using photovoltaic (PV) technology* is being increasingly recognized as an essential component of future global energy production. The finite supply of fossil fuel sources and the detrimental long-term effects of CO2 and other emissions into our atmosphere underscore the urgency of developing renewable energy resources. PV technology is being increasingly recognized as part of the solution to the growing energy challenge and an essential component of future global energy production. Pro-
*An introduction to photovoltaic technology can be found at Web site www.eere.energy.gov/ solar/pv_basics.html.
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vided that photovoltaics can be made truly economically competitive with fossil fuels, large-scale manufacturing of these devices offers a pathway to a sustainable energy source that could supply a significant fraction of our energy needs. This comes with only minimal impact on the environment associated with the energy needed to manufacture the devices (this is embedded in the cost), disposal of small amounts of waste materials from the manufacturing process, and the land use for the installation of largescale PV systems. The impact of land use can be minimized by locating large-scale arrays in desert regions of little ecological importance and can be completely negated by integrating PV systems into existing building structures and rooftops.
A photovoltaic device, or solar cell, converts absorbed photons directly into electrical charges that are used to energize an external circuit (Fi
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