The first of the ten problem in the next 50 years is energy. The inexpensive energy is what we want, such as: nuclear energy, thermal power, hydropower. However, these energy sources also have their shortcomings, like production problems, pollution problems, waste disposal problems, and so on. As a result, renewable energy has attracted attention. Sun is abundant source of energy. One of the most representative energy sources is solar energy.
Install semi-transparent solar cells as an auxiliary energy source in existing buildings, which can be applied to applications such as doors and windows, skylights, greenhouses and large public spaces. Although large-scale buildings cannot supply major power generation, they can provide some low power consumption. At present, domestic and international construction of integrated solar cells have been actively invested in development.
Currently the most prominent sources of renewable energy are the crystalline silicon solar cell and the wind power. These technologies are however incompatible with the human living areas. Semitransparent solution-processed organic photovoltaic (OPV) is an emerging solar cell technology that is highly compatible with human habitation and farms. Part of the sunlight can pass through and support and lives underneath, and part of the sunlight can be used to generate the electricity required for the buildings and the farms. OPV has the advantages of being semi-transparent, non-toxic, nature color, and low investment barrier. Even though the power conversion efficiency is only about 1/3 of the conventional crystalline silicon solar cell, the sunlight transparency made them possible to be installed in places close to human beings, animals, and plants. There are several competing semi-transparent solar cell technologies: amorphous silicon has an uncomfortable deep red color, dye-sensitized solar cell has poor stability, and perovskite solar cell has both poor stability and deep red color. Nice-looking and stable semi-transparent OPV panels can greatly reduce the power consumption of the green buildings and the green houses.
A large-area transparent organic solar cell can be replaced with a single piece of devices, effectively utilizing each piece of solar cell, and the organic solar cell is low in toxicity and suitable for installation indoors. At present, the optimal efficiency and longevity of small-area organic solar cell devices,
the photoelectric conversion efficiency has reached 9.3%, and its lifetime has reached nearly one year under continuous illumination operation.
