Preliminary study for outdoor testing: Effect of Moisture and Temperature on the Stability of UV Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

As an environmentally compatible device, combining low costs, transparency of the entire Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR) domain, and an optimal efficiency of the solar cell for the elimination of any energy provided by the conventional sources, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are proposed as the most promising candidates for a wavelength-selective photovoltaic greenhouse. Here, we report the influence of temperature and a small concentration of water in the organic electrolyte on the photocurrent density–photovoltage (J–V) characteristics of UV dye-sensitized solar cells. Our results have highlighted that using a special architecture of the photoanode, up to 60 °C, no degradation effect of 10 % water on the photovoltaic performance of DSSC was observed. On the contrary, a small concentration of water has a beneficial effect on the thermal stability of the DSSC confirming the attractive premises for future implementation of DSSCs in the roof of the greenhouse and the long-term stability in outdoor conditions.