Flexible, long-lived, large-area, organic solar cells

Abstract

We report herein large area (>10 cm2), interconnected organic solar cell modules both on glass substrates as well as on flexible ultra-high barrier foils, reaching 1.5% and 0.5% overall power conversion efficiency under AM1.5 conditions. Series connection is described, as these modules consist of up to three cells. Using our flexible barrier material, a shelf lifetime of polythiophene-based solar cells of 6000 h could be realized. Furthermore, we compare the photovoltaic performance of efficient conjugated polymer:fullerene solar cell modules with established technologies. Under typical indoor-office lighting, our modules are competitive with these systems.