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Pairing of near-ultraviolet solar cells with electrochromic windows for smart management of the solar spectrum

Nature Energy volume 2, Article number: 17104 (2017) Cite this article

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An Author Correction to this article was published on 18 September 2017

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Abstract

Current smart window technologies offer dynamic control of the optical transmission of the visible and near-infrared portions of the solar spectrum to reduce lighting, heating and cooling needs in buildings and to improve occupant comfort. Solar cells harvesting near-ultraviolet photons could satisfy the unmet need of powering such smart windows over the same spatial footprint without competing for visible or infrared photons, and without the same aesthetic and design constraints. Here, we report organic single-junction solar cells that selectively harvest near-ultraviolet photons, produce open-circuit voltages eclipsing 1.6 V and exhibit scalability in power generation, with active layers (10 cm2) substantially larger than those typical of demonstration organic solar cells (0.04–0.2 cm2). Integration of these solar cells with a low-cost, polymer-based electrochromic window enables intelligent management of the solar spectrum, with near-ultraviolet photons powering the regulation of visible and near-infrared photons for natural lighting and heating purposes.

Heating, cooling, and lighting needs in buildings comprise roughly 40% of the energy demand in the United States1, with heating accounting for nearly twice the energy required for cooling2,3. Smart windows can regulate the transmission of visible and near-infrared light, thereby offsetting building energy needs by up to 40% (refs 4,5,6). Among smart window technologies, electrochromic windows have garnered the most attention because they offer dynamic control7,8. Together with temperature and light sensors, smart windows promise to work in concert with building climate control and lighting systems to afford significant energy savings over passive or static alternatives, such as photochromic coatings4. Electrochromic windows require intermittent or continuous power for operation, necessitating external wiring and complicating installation2,4,9,10,11. Low-cost, visibly transparent photovoltaic cells (TPVs) can provide local, renewable power to such electrochromic windows2 without altering building aesthetics or imposing further design constraints. Existing TPV technologies12,13,14, however, do not currently meet this application need because they target the same near-infrared (near-IR) wavelengths for power generation that smart windows aim to regulate dynamically. Selectively harvesting near-ultraviolet (near-UV) light for powering smart window technologies avoids competition for the same spectral range.

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Figure 1: Proposed management of the solar spectrum.
Figure 2: Chemical structures and thin-film optoelectronic properties.
Figure 3: Active-layer characterization.
Figure 4: Solar cell characterization.
Figure 5: Area scaling of solar cells.
Figure 6: Large-area solar cell with an alternative electrode.
Figure 7: Electrochromic window (ECW) characterization.
Figure 8: Combined ECW and PV stack optical transmittance.

Change history

  • 18 September 2017

    In the version of this Article originally published, Fig. 4f was incorrect. This error has now been corrected.

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Acknowledgements

N.C.D. acknowledges financial support from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. DGE 1148900. We (N.C.D., M.S.-E. and Y.-L.L.) acknowledge support from NSF MRSEC funding through Princeton Center for Complex Materials (DMR-1420541) and the Wilke Family Fund administered by the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University. A.K. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMR-1506097. We thank M. Panzer and H. Qin of Tufts University for valuable discussions regarding ionogels, and G. Man of Princeton University for assistance with UPS/IPES analysis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA

    Nicholas C. Davy, Melda Sezen-Edmonds, Jia Gao, Amy Liu & Yueh-Lin Loo

  2. Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA

    Xin Lin & Antoine Kahn

  3. Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM), Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA

    Nan Yao

  4. Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA

    Yueh-Lin Loo

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  1. Nicholas C. Davy
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Contributions

N.C.D., M.S.-E. and Y.-L.L. wrote the manuscript; N.C.D. synthesized molecular semiconductors; X.L. and A.K. provided UPS/IPES measurements and analysis; N.C.D. and J.G. fabricated and characterized PV cells; M.S.-E. synthesized PANI-PAAMPSA; M.S.-E. and A.L. fabricated and characterized ECWs; M.S.-E. and N.D. integrated ECW and PV components for solar-powered ECW demonstration. N.Y. conducted TEM sample preparation and imaging. All authors discussed the results and reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yueh-Lin Loo.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Figures 1–10 and Supplementary Tables 1 and 2. (PDF 985 kb)

Supplementary Video 1

Demonstration of a 2.25 cm2 solar-powered electrochromic window comprising stacked films of PANI-PAAPMSA and PEDOT:PSS separated by a gel electrolyte. The switching of this window between its coloured and bleached states is driven by a 1.38 cm2 D/A1 cell under 1 sun AM1.5G illumination. (MP4 19631 kb)

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Davy, N., Sezen-Edmonds, M., Gao, J. et al. Pairing of near-ultraviolet solar cells with electrochromic windows for smart management of the solar spectrum. Nat Energy 2, 17104 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2017.104

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