Tackling Efficiency Challenges and Exploring Greenhouse-Integrated Organic Photovoltaics

Muhammad Azhar Ansari, Giovanni Ciampi () and Sergio Sibilio
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Muhammad Azhar Ansari: Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via San Lorenzo 4, 81031 Aversa, Italy
Giovanni Ciampi: Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via San Lorenzo 4, 81031 Aversa, Italy
Sergio Sibilio: Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via San Lorenzo 4, 81031 Aversa, Italy

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-24

Abstract: Organic solar cells offer benefits such as transparent characteristics, affordability in manufacturing, and the ability to tailor light absorption properties according to specific needs. This review discusses challenges and recent strategies to enhance the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells, such as bandgap tuning, molecular orbital alignment, active layer morphology engineering, electron-donating and -withdrawing group incorporation, side chain length engineering, a third additive’s insertion, and control of the solubility of materials. The good transparency of organic solar cells makes them ideal for greenhouse-integrated photovoltaics applications. By efficiently absorbing sunlight for photosynthesis and clean energy production, transparent organic solar cells optimize light management, enhance energy efficiency, and minimize overheating risks, resulting in more sustainable and efficient greenhouse operations. This review also evaluates organic solar cell integration in the greenhouse. The implementation of the strategies explored in this review can significantly impact a wide range of performance parameters in organic solar cells. These parameters include the optoelectronic properties, absorption spectrum, open circuit voltage, exciton dissociation, charge transport, molecular packing, solubility, phase separation, crystallinity, nanoscale morphology, and device stability. An optimized organic solar cell design is particularly beneficial for greenhouse-integrated photovoltaics, as it ensures efficient energy conversion and energy management, which are crucial factors in maximizing the performance of the greenhouse.

Keywords: Polymer/Organic solar cells; energy band gap; Greenhouse-Integrated Photovoltaics (GIPV); power conversion efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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