Eco Sustainable Village
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Eco Sustainable Village |
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How Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells WorkEveryday vegetable dye like pigments from cranberry juice, green vegetables and other fruit color can be used to make good quality solar cells at home. In eco sustainable villages this technology can make it possible to mass produce very low cost solar cells.
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ghazi@wavepowerplant.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
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Step 1 - Stain the Titanium Dioxide with the Natural Dye: Stain the white
side of a glass plate which has been
). This glass has been
previously coated with a transparent conductive layer (SnO
Step 2 - Coat the Counter Electrode: The solar cell needs both a positive
and a negative plate to function. The positive electrode is called the counter
electrode and is created from a "conductive" SnO
Steps 3 & 4 - Add the Electrolyte and Assemble the Finished Solar Cell:
The Iodide solution serves as the electrolyte in the solar cell to complete the
circuit and regenerate the dye. Place the stained plate on the table so that the
film side is up and place one or two drops of the iodide/iodine electrolyte
solution on the stained portion of the film. Then place the counter electrode on
top of the stained film so that the conductive side of the counter electrode is
on top of the film. Offset the glass plates so that the edges of each plate are
exposed. These will serve as the contact points for the negative and positive
electrodes so that you can extract electricity and test your cell.
The
Nanocrystalline Solar Cell Kit uses natural dyes from berries to generate
electricity from light. The solar cell has enough electrical output to power
a small motor (not included). The kit provides an interdisciplinary context
for students learning basic principles in chemistry, biology, physics, as
well as environmental science.
