Conjunction of fiber solar cells with groovy micro-reflectors as highly efficient energy harvesters

• DOI: 10.1039/c1ee01427g
• Publication Date: 2011-07-15T12:30:17Z
• Authors: Yongping Fu; Zhibin Lv; Shaocong Hou; Hongwei Wu; Dang Wang; Chao Zhang; Zengze Chu; Xin Cai; Xing Fan; Zhong Lin Wang; Dechun Zou
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 7. Clean energy; 3. Good health

Solar cells are the most effective approach for sustainable energy to meet the world's increasing needs in energy. However, their large-scale applications have been limited by low cost performance, supply of raw materials, complex preparation processes and the possible pollutions produced during processing. Here we introduce a novel fiber solar cell housed in a simple and low-cost parabolic-shape reflector, which can effectively capture diffuse light from all directions. The maximum efficiency of the fiber based dye-sensitized solar cells alone reached 7.02%. Furthermore, the maximum power output was enhanced by a factor of two and five, respectively, when the fiber was in conjunction with a diffuse reflector or a micro-light concentrating groove.