Charging up solar cells

Charging Characteristics of Lithium Ion Battery Using Semi-Solar Modules of Polymer:Fullerene Solar Cells

The combination of lithium ion battery (LIB) and organic (polymer) solar cells is expected to deliver versatile self-rechargeable portable energy sources, but less attention has been paid to the charging characteristics of LIB-using polymer solar cells. Here we demonstrate that the LIB packs, which were prepared by using lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) and graphite as a cathode and an anode, resp...

Two-step photon up-conversion solar cells

Reducing the transmission loss for below-gap photons is a straightforward way to break the limit of the energy-conversion efficiency of solar cells (SCs). The up-conversion of below-gap photons is very promising for generating additional photocurrent. Here we propose a two-step photon up-conversion SC with a hetero-interface comprising different bandgaps of Al0.3Ga0.7As and GaAs. The below-gap ...

Application of Erbium-doped Up-converters to Silicon Solar Cells

Dynamic Power Path Management Simplifies Battery Charging from Solar Panels

The Texas Instruments bq2403x family of linear charge regulators were originally designed to charge single-cell Li-ion batteries from an AC adapter or USB port. However, these ICs also lend themselves well to applications powered by solar panels. Solar cells basically comprise a p-n junction in which incident light energy (photons) causes electrons and holes to recombine, generating an electric...

Efficiently photo-charging lithium-ion battery by perovskite solar cell

Electric vehicles using lithium-ion battery pack(s) for propulsion have recently attracted a great deal of interest. The large-scale practical application of battery electric vehicles may not be realized unless lithium-ion batteries with self-charging suppliers will be developed. Solar cells offer an attractive option for directly photo-charging lithium-ion batteries. Here we demonstrate the us...