Green-light wavelength-selective organic solar cells: module fabrication and crop evaluation towards agrivoltaics

Green-light wavelength-selective organic solar cells (GLWS-OSCs) pioneer novel agrivoltaics in greenhouses via transforming solar energy in the green-light region to electricity while simultaneously growing crops by utilizing the transmitted blue and red lights. However, the development of GLWS-OSCs has been stymied due to the limited availability of donors and acceptors. Herein, we investigate the combination of a cost-effective poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) donor with a fluorinated-naphthobisthiadiazole-based non-fullerene acceptor (FNTz-FA) for GLWS-OSC application. FNTz-FA shows an intense absorption band between 500 and 600 nm and a high level of chemical stability. OSCs based on P3HT and FNTz-FA with an inverted configuration are optimized to show high green-light wavelength-selective absorption and power conversion efficiency in the green-light region. Furthermore, large-scale device fabrication has been considered, leading to the development of 100 and 400 cm 2 scale OSC modules. These modules showed sustained solar cell performance after 180 days. Photosynthetic rate measurements indicate that transmissions by the P3HT:FNTz-FA film show a non-obstructing nature and the advantage of green-light wavelength-selectivity in crop growth. Preliminary investigations on the growth of tomatoes have shown the potential of P3HT:FNTz-FA-based OSCs for agrivoltaics. These results demonstrate that GLWS-OSCs are a valid candidate to realize agrivoltaics in greenhouses for an effective utilization of solar energy. • Green-light wavelength-selective organic solar cells are developed for greenhouses. • Green light is converted to electricity, allowing crops to use blue and red light. • Large-scale solar cell modules based on cost-effective materials are fabricated. • Photosynthetic rate measurements show no interference with strawberry growth. • Tomato growth under indoor light transmitted through the modules shows potential.