Using Solar Cells Together With Optical Fiber

Dye-sensitized solar cells is inexpensive to make but the energy it produce may not enough for a huge need(Like big company). 

Fortunately there is a way to give the solar cell some turbo, wrapping solar cell around optical fiber give it higher efficiency as effective as 5~6 times of the of a original ZnO solar cell (zinc oxide cell) with equal surface area (m square). Before that make sure you check this post and learn to build solar panel by yourself.

This can be explained by the fact solar cell-optic fiber system is providing extra chance to interact with solar cell on the inner surface thus produce more electricity and current, because the light bounce inside the fiber optic can travel along the solar cell.

Total area of the cell increased means better light harvesting and also more electricity, energy it can produced when a constant volume is given. This type of solar panel take less area than planar solar panel cells because the length of optical fibers can hided into roof,wall or ground just like our wire.

Solar panel that use dye molecules generate electron by absorbing sunlight or normal light. Some research group remove the fiber optics’ cladding and grow the ZnO nano-wire along their surface, which give ZnO structure absorb. This is a clear advantage of nanowires compare to a 100% smooth surface because it have a huge surface touching area to absorb extra light. You can read more at Wiley Inter Science’s Journal.