Transparent organic solar cells for agronomic applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016013433-A1
Application number	US-201414770032-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 25, 2014
Priority date	Feb 25, 2013
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A greenhouse includes an enclosing structure, with at least a portion of the enclosing structure being at least 10% transparent to sun light in at least a portion of the 400-700 nm range of wavelengths of light. The portion of the enclosing structure that is at least 10% transparent to sun light includes a transparent organic photo-voltaic cell.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A greenhouse comprising an enclosing structure, wherein at least a portion of the enclosing structure is at least 10% transparent to sun light in at least a portion of the 400-700 nm range of wavelengths of light, and
wherein at least a portion of the enclosing structure that is at least 10% transparent to sun light comprises a transparent organic photo-voltaic cell.

2 . The greenhouse according to claim 1 , wherein said transparent organic photo-voltaic cell is at least 10% transparent to sun light in at least a portion of the 400-700 nm range of wavelengths of light and is responsive to light in a range of wavelengths outside said 400-700 nm range of wavelengths.

3 . The greenhouse according to claim 2 , wherein said transparent organic photo-voltaic cell is responsive to light in at least a portion of the 700-900 nm range of wavelengths of light.

4 . The greenhouse according to claim 1 , wherein said transparent organic photo-voltaic cell is at least 10% transparent to sun light in at least a portion of the 400-550 nm range of wavelengths of light and at least a portion of the 620-700 nm range of wavelengths of light.

5 . The greenhouse according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the enclosing structure is less than 10% transparent to sun light in at least a portion of the 400-700 nm range of wavelengths of light,
wherein at least a portion of the enclosing structure that is less than 10% transparent to sun light comprises a photo-voltaic cell.

6 . The greenhouse according to claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of the enclosing structure is at least 10% transparent to sun light in at least a portion of the range of wavelengths of light above 630 nm.

7 . The greenhouse according to claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of the enclosing structure is at least 10% transparent to sun light in at least a portion of the range of wavelengths of light above 570 nm.

8 . The greenhouse according to claim 1 , further comprising a down converter material on a surface of the enclosing structure,
wherein said down converter material converts shorter wavelength light to longer wavelength light.

9 . The greenhouse according to claim 8 , wherein said longer wavelength light is in at least a portion of the range of wavelengths of light between 400-700 nm.

10 . The greenhouse according to claim 4 , wherein said transparent organic photo-voltaic cell is at least 10% transparent to sun light in at least a portion of the 400-500 nm range of wavelengths of light and at least a portion of the 640-700 nm range of wavelengths of light.

11 . The greenhouse according to claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of the enclosing structure that is at least 10% transparent to sun light in at least a portion of the 400-700 nm range of wavelengths of light is at least 50% transparent to sun light in at least a portion of the 400-700 nm range of wavelengths of light.

12 . A panel for a greenhouse, comprising a transparent organic photo-voltaic cell that is at least 10% transparent to sun light in at least a portion of the 400-700 nm range of wavelengths of light and is responsive to light in a range of wavelengths outside said 400-700 nm range of wavelengths.

13 . A method of producing energy from solar radiation, comprising:
providing a greenhouse that has photovoltaic cells on at least a portion of an enclosing structure thereof; and disposing fuel-producing algae within said greenhouse, wherein said photovoltaic cells are at least 10% transparent to sun light within at least a portion of the wavelength range of 400-700 nm, and wherein said photovoltaic cells absorb sufficient amounts of sun light outside said wavelength range of 400-700 nm to generate electrical energy.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said photovoltaic cells absorb sufficient amounts of sun light in at least a portion of the wavelength range of 700-900 nm to generate electricity.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said photovoltaic cells are at least 10% transparent to sun light within at least a portion of the wavelength range of 400-550 nm and at least a portion of the wavelength range of 620-700 nm.

16 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
providing at least one down converter material on said greenhouse, wherein said at least one down converter material converts shorter wavelength light to longer wavelength light.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Yang Yang
• Li Gang

Classifications

• H10K30/20

  comprising organic-organic junctions, e.g. donor-acceptor junctions · CPC title

• A01G9/1438 Primary

  Covering materials therefor; Materials for protective coverings used for soil and plants, e.g. films, canopies, tunnels or cloches · CPC title

• A01G9/14

  Greenhouses · CPC title

• H01L51/424 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10K85/761

  Biomolecules or bio-macromolecules, e.g. proteins, chlorophyl, lipids or enzymes · CPC title