What is the difference between perovskite solar cells (PSC) amorphous silicon (a-si), Dye-sensitized (dssc), and organic photovoltaics (OPV)?
There are several types of solar cells, including organic, perovskite, dye-sensitized and amorphous silicon technologies. The main differences between these lies in the semiconductor material, manufacturing processes, and life-cycle environmental impact (LCA).
Organic photovoltaics (OPV)
Material: Organic photovoltaics use carbon-based semiconductor materials to absorb light. They can be manufactured using low-temperature processes and are made from thin and flexible plastic substrates, enabling integration into various applications.
Production method: Roll-to-roll manufacturing and sheet-to-sheet batch manufacturing.
Roll-to-roll manufacturing offers an advantage in scalability and cost efficiency at higher volumes, while sheet-based manufacturing is primarily suited for lower volumes.
Epishine uses a roll-to-roll manufacturing process for organic photovoltaics to enable efficient material use, low-temperature processing, and scalable production. Epishine’s organic photovoltaic solar cells are free from toxic materials, and rare earth elements, contributing to a lower carbon footprint.
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs)
Material: Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are, like organic solar cells, thin photovoltaic devices often made from rigid glass substrates. Instead of organic material, perovskites use a metal-halide compound as the light-absorbing semiconductor. Lead is generally used as the metal component in high-efficiency metal halide perovskites.
Production method: Sheet-to-sheet batch manufacturing. Although there is potential for continuous roll-to-roll production, perovskite materials are more challenging to process.
Dye-sensitized (dssc)
Material: Dye-sensitized solar cells (dssc) are an electrolyte-based photovoltaic technology that uses a photosensitive dye adsorbed onto a semiconductor (typically titanium dioxide) and an electrolyte to transport charge. DSSCs are typically fabricated on glass substrates and are sometimes referred to as Grätzel cells.
Production method: Sheet-to-sheet batch manufacturing. The liquid state retained also in the final product makes the production process significantly more complicated and expensive.
Amorphous silicon (a-Si)
Material: Amorphous silicon is a thin-film silicon technology derived from conventional silicon photovoltaics. It is available on substrates such as glass, flexible plastic film, or stainless steel and has commonly been used in applications such as calculators.
Compared to OPV, it has lower performance indoors but can instead be used outdoors with a higher success rate. It is available on substrates such as glass, flexible plastic film, or stainless steel and has commonly been used in applications such as calculators.
Production method: Sheet-to-sheet batch manufacturing.