Green Doesn't Have to Mean $$$

Beginning in the late 1980’s, research began on a new type of photovoltaic cell, called the dye-sensitized titanium dioxide semiconductor cell that has begun to change the perception that solar cells have to be expensive. These cells, though much less efficient than their silicon brethren, have already found a home in large office buildings. Given the cost difference (greater than a factor of 10), it is reasonable to expect research to continue in this area.

The sheer simplicity of production and low energy input to produce dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells give them much promise in the present and future. Silicon cells take a long time to make up for the high initial cost, often around five years. In dye-sensitized cells, the initial cost is mitigated in three years, sometimes less.

Dye-sensitized cells also benefit from a broader band gap than that of silicon cells, meaning dye-sensitized cells can absorb light of a greater variety of wavelengths, thus making them more efficient in low-light settings compared to silicon photovoltaic cells.

Solar cell life expectancy is a topic of major concern, given the expensive initial investment. Dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells have a life-span exceeding that of silicon cells, with the primary problem being the ‘doping,’ or dye coating on the titanium dioxide. One great advantage dye-sensitized cells have is the ability to be‘re-doped’ as a means of upgrading them or restoring them to their original efficiencies. With a low initial cost, a broad band gap, and a stellar life span, dye-sensitized cells have a strong place in the alternative fuel industry of the future.