Cost > Plastic Solar Cells: Towards Grid Parity?

Traditionally, photovoltaic cells are fabricated from silicon. While cell efficiency is continually improving, the fact remains that the electricity generated from them is a bit more expensive than that generated from conventional energy sources. As the initial price and longer returns on investment are the main obstacles of more mainstream adoption of photovoltaic solar cells, the July 2007 breakthrough on a plastic, organic solar cell is viewed by the team leading the project as a promising step towards lower prices for sun-generated electricity.

The tandem solar cells, developed by a collaboration of South Korean scientists at South Korea’s Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and American Nobel laureate Alan Heeger at the UC Santa Barbara, are each comprised of two solar cells with “different absorption characteristics,” which are “linked to use a wider range of the solar spectrum,” states Science magazine. The scientists have reported a 6.5 percent power-conversion efficiency, the highest level yet for organic solar cells.

In spite of criticism that the solar cells use petroleum-based plastics, the scientists are hopeful for the technology’s ability to revolutionize the market, stating that it would take only ten cents to generate one watt of electricity and that it would be available for purchase in three years.

Page 1