Scientist at the Silesian University of Technology in Poland have developed an innovative method to increase photovoltaic(PV) cell efficiency using dye concentrators. These concentrators incorporate yellow and red dyes into luminescent and pigmented polymethyl methacrytale(PMMA) glass to Direct sunlight onto silicon cells achieving efficiency improvements between 0.05% and 1.42%. The Highest gains were observed with Red Luminescent PMMA
These dyes, in contrast to those in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), only direct sunlight onto silicon cells; they do not produce power on their own. This technique gets around the requirement that the dyes have redox or conductive qualities.
According to tests, yellow luminescent PMMA demonstrated a 0.25% rise in efficiency, but red luminescent PMMA offered an average increase of 1.21%. Red and yellow tinted PMMA both showed 0.13% and 0.41% increases in efficiency, respectively. The cells short-circuit current was greatly increased by the concentrators, especially when using PMMA that was coloured yellow and red.
This study, which is a component of a larger effort to support renewable energy, demonstrates how dye concentrators can increase solar cell efficiency, particularly in locations with diffuse natural light. The results, which were published in Frontiers in Energy Research, indicate that these concentrators might be especially useful for improving solar efficiency during the winter, when dispersed irradiation is more prevalent.