Powering Indoor Electronic Devices using Photovoltaic Dye Cells

3GSolar is a global leader in Dye Solar Cells (DSC), a printed photovoltaic cell that supplies energy from light under conditions where other systems perform poorly. DSC is basically an electrochemical device. It uses a photoactive dye carried on a nanocrystalline titania support that collects light and converts that light into electric current. Our DSC cells are made by an inexpensive printing process. Although long studied in research labs, it is 3GSolar that solved the key technical issues for commercializing DSC technology with high performance and durability. Our product uses light to produce electricity for wireless devices, eliminating the need to ever replace or recharge batteries in many kinds of electronics and our cells are built on regular glass, thin glass or (in development) plastic.
Cells can therefore be made thin, lightweight and flexible, while the dye can be selected to give opaque, colored or translucent units. Energy harvesting from the indoor/outdoor environment using small DSC cells creates possibilities of truly wireless and maintenance-free electronics. There is a whole range of consumer, industrial, Smart Building and other electronics that require low power but not low enough to operate indefinitely on one set of batteries. As a result, these low power devices must be recharged, if practical, or their batteries replaced every several months to a few years. Integrating 3GSolar DSC cells into wireless devices means full autonomy, no need for changing or charging batteries. The DSC has reliable power output in a whole range of lighting conditions, including indoor fluorescent or LED lighting. Rival silicon solar cells perform poorly under these conditions. The presentation will describe construction/performance of our cells and possible adaptation in the future to related emerging technology perovskite cells.