Abstract

The Philippines remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels, with 67.4% of its energy coming from oil, coal, and natural gas, while only 32.3% is derived from renewable Additionally, food loss and waste significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. As the global demand for sustainable energy grows, Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) have emerged as a promising alternative due to their ability to utilize natural pigments like chlorophyll and anthocyanin in enhancing DSSC efficiency, but the optimal dye amount for maximizing the efficiency remains uncertain. In this study, researchers investigated whether the amount of chlorophyll-anthocyanin dye significantly influences the voltage output of DSSCs. A Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was employed, where DSSCs (50x50 mm) with ITO glass substrates, a TiO2 layer, and a liquid iodide electrolyte were tested with 15, 30, and 45 drops of dye. Voltage output was analyzed using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and a Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) post hoc test. Results revealed that the DSSC with 30 drops, having a mean of 0.674 as compared to the 0.166 and 0.382 of the 15 and 45 drops, respectively, exhibited the highest efficiency, supporting the hypothesis that the dye amount plays a crucial role in optimizing performance. To further evaluate its feasibility, a larger-scale DSSC was developed to determine whether increasing the surface area enhances efficiency and to assess its potential for real-world applications, such as integration into windows. This study contributes to DSSC technology by refining dye amount parameters and demonstrating its potential for large-scale applications. The findings highlight DSSCs as a cost-effective and sustainable energy solution, supporting the transition to cleaner energy sources while addressing food waste utilization and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Keywords: dye-sensitized solar cells, anthocyanin, chlorophyll, solar power