Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs or DSSCs) use organic, light-absorbing dyes to harness solar energy. These cells, as part of the exciting but still infantile third generation of solar cells, are getting a good deal of attention lately. Late last year, Chinese and Swiss researchers reached the 10-percent conversion efficiency milestone and now the U.S. Air Force expects DSCs to power their unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the near future.

This time, the researchers are from the University of Washington, and the cause is military. The implications of success, however, are no less exciting. The project is part of the UW Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), led by Dr. Minoru Taya, and focuses on airborne solar cells. These cells use a flexible film and thin, glass coating with transparent electrodes and are mounted onto the wings of the UAV.

The research team calls their creations airborne energy harvesters, designed specifically for use in flight. Early attempts produced enough power to run the propeller of a model plane, but prevented takeoff because the panels were too heavy. Several experiments later, they had that plane taking off using battery film technology to lighten the load.

Now, Dr. Taya and his team are investigating other variables, such as cell durability, conversion efficiency, weight on a larger scale and energy storage. Advantages of DSCs include: clean energy, scalability, low-temperature processing and specific power convergence efficiency (PCE). All totaled, that means DSCs have lower costs and should enable Air Force UAVs to maintain longer time periods in flight.

For the MURI team, the ultimate goal is large, dye-sensitized solar cells that are flexible, lightweight, and efficient enough to be integrated onto the wings of aircraft at a low cost. Dr. Taya speculates that many of these problems could be resolved within the next few years, although a few more may be needed to resolve all the complex engineering hurdles inherent in solar panel installation onto the wing of an airplane.

From: ScienceDaily

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Posted on September 11th in Solar Products by Dan.