Blackberry/USDA
Sept. 10, 2003
Dye-Based Solar Cells
Comparison of Photovoltaic Effect in Silicon and Natural Dye-Based Cells Using Different Light Sources
Asmita Kumar, 14, Goleta, Calif.
Discovery Science Channel "Space Camp" Award, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2002.
Project background: Asmita's project was triggered by her interest in alternative fuels. While researching types of alternative fuels, Asmita learned about photovoltaic devices, which are inexpensive methods of capturing light energy. She developed an experiment to determine whether dye-based cells would perform better than commercially available silicon solar cells. Asmita hypothesized that dye cells would produce a large photovoltaic effect when illuminated in any color of light other than the color of the dye and that a silicon solar cell would show a peak photovoltaic effect in one particular light.
Tactics and results: Asmita extracted three types of organic dyes from plants: citrus leaf, raspberry, and blackberry. She assembled photovoltaic cells, creating four cells of each dye type. She tested each different light—sunlight, white halogen, blue, red, and green. Asmita also measured four silicon cells and measured the voltage and current produced by each cell.
Asmita concluded that dye-based cells performed better in a broader spectrum of light while silicon cells performed well in all colored lights. This finding indicates that silicon cells are considerably more efficient than homemade dye-based photovoltaic cells.
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