Long-term stability of low-power dye-sensitised solar cells prepared by industrial methods

Encapsulated dye-sensitised solar modules designed for low-power indoor applications have been prepared using industrial methods and equipment that can be applied to mass production. The modules have been tested for long-term stability. Especially, the influences of different illumination conditions, humidity, and operation conditions (e.g. short-circuit and open-circuit) have been evaluated. It is shown that the use of an inexpensive UV filter in combination with a novel preparation technique and adequate module encapsulation can provide dye-photovoltaic (dye PV) devices that are stable enough for utilisation in various low-power consumer applications. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.