Organic Solar Cells: The End of Silicon-Based Solar May Be Coming
The dominance of silicon-based solar cells may be ending, as organic photovoltaics have recently achieved a competitive level of efficiency. For researchers, this is a long sought after milestone, but, for consumers, this will usher in cheaper, lighter, flexible, and vastly more versatile solar panels.
Typical solar cells are made with silicon, which, up until recently, provided the efficiency needed to make them commercially viable. In particular, these are made with crystalline silicon, which is used to separate layers of boron, a positively charged material, and phosphorus, a negatively charged material, thus creating an electric field. When sunlight hits the silicon, the photons knock electrons loose, allowing them to travel freely in this field, producing an electric current.
