Solar cell device
Assignee3GSolar Ltd.
InventorJonathan R. Goldstein
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A photovoltaic cell for converting a light source into electricity, including: (a) a housing for the photovoltaic cell, including: (i) an at least partially transparent cell wall; (b) at least one electrically-conductive element, disposed at least partially within the photovoltaic cell, for boosting collection of a current generated by the cell; (c) a conductive coating, electrically associated with the electrically-conductive element, and disposed on a surface within the photovoltaic cell; (d) an electrolyte, disposed within the cell wall, the electrolyte containing a redox species, and (e) a current collection element, disposed on a side of the cell wall, wherein the current collection element is electrically connected to the electrically-conductive element, so as to remove the current produced by the cell.
Claims32
A photovoltaic cell for converting a light source into electricity, the cell comprising:
- (a) a housing for the photovoltaic cell, said housing including an at least partially transparent cell wall, said cell wall having an interior surface and an exterior surface;
- (b) an electrolyte, disposed within said cell wall, said electrolyte containing an iodine based redox species;
- (c) an at least partially transparent electrically conductive coating disposed on said interior surface of said cell wall, within the photovoltaic cell;
- (d) an anode disposed on said at least partially transparent electrically conductive coating, said anode including:
- (i) a porous film adapted to make intimate contact with said redox species, and
- (ii) a dye, absorbed on a surface of said porous film, said dye and said porous film adapted to convert photons to electrons;
- (e) a cathode disposed on an interior surface of said housing, said cathode disposed substantially opposite said anode;
- (f) at least one electrically-conductive structural component disposed at least partially within the photovoltaic cell, said structural component electrically contacting said anode and said at least partially transparent electrically conductive coating, and
- (g) a second electrically conductive coating including a binder and an electrically conductive filler, said second coating disposed and electrically communicating between said electrically-conductive structural component and said at least partially transparent electrically conductive coating,
- said electrically-conductive structural component configured to boost collection of a current generated by the cell,
- wherein said at least one electrically-conductive structural component includes at least one metallic wire,
- wherein said transparent conductive coating includes a tin-oxide based conductive coating,
- and wherein said binder contains at least one inorganic binder material including a glass.
A photovoltaic cell for converting a light source into electricity, the cell comprising:
- (a) a housing for the photovoltaic cell, said housing including an at least partially transparent cell wall, said cell wall having an interior surface and an exterior surface;
- (b) an electrolyte, disposed within said cell wall, said electrolyte containing an iodine based redox species;
- (c) an at least partially transparent electrically conductive coating disposed on said interior surface of said cell wall, within the photovoltaic cell;
- (d) an anode disposed on said at least partially transparent electrically conductive coating, said anode including:
- (i) a porous film adapted to make intimate contact with said redox species, and
- (ii) a dye, absorbed on a surface of said porous film, said dye and said porous film adapted to convert photons to electrons;
- (e) a cathode disposed on an interior surface of said housing, said cathode disposed substantially opposite said anode;
- (f) at least one electrically-conductive structural component, disposed at least partially within the photovoltaic cell, said structural component electrically contacting said anode and said at least partially transparent electrically conductive coating, and
- (g) a second electrically conductive coating including a binder and an electrically conductive filler, said second coating disposed and electrically communicating between said electrically-conductive structural component and said at least partially transparent electrically conductive coating,
- said electrically-conductive structural component configured to boost collection of a current generated by the cell,
- wherein said at least one electrically-conductive structural component includes at least one metallic wire,
- wherein said transparent conductive coating includes a tin-oxide based conductive coating,
- and wherein said binder contains at least one inorganic binder material selected from the group consisting of silicate, aluminate, titanate, zirconate and phosphate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.