Semi-transparent photovoltaics only allow for the fabrication of solar cells with an optical transmission that is fixed during their manufacturing resulting in a trade-off between transparency and efficiency. For the integration of semi-transparent devices in buildings, ideally solar cells should generate electricity while offering the comfort for users to self-adjust their light transmission with the intensity of the daylight. Here we report photochromic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on dyes with a donor-π-conjugated-bridge-acceptor structure where the π-conjugated bridge is substituted by a diphenyl-naphthopyran photochromic unit. DSSCs show change in colour and self-adjustable light transmittance when irradiated and demonstrate a power conversion efficiency up to 4.17%. The colouration–decolouration process is reversible and these DSSCs are stable over 50 days. We also report semi-transparent photo-chromo-voltaic mini-modules (active area of 14 cm²) exhibiting a maximum power output of 32.5 mW after colouration.

半透明光伏只允许制造具有在制造过程中固定的光学传输的太阳能电池，从而导致透明度和效率之间的权衡。对于在建筑物中集成半透明设备，理想情况下，太阳能电池应该在发电的同时为用户提供舒适感，以根据日光强度自行调节其透光率。在这里，我们报告了基于染料的光致变色染料敏化太阳能电池 (DSSC)，该染料具有供体 - π - 共轭桥 - 受体结构，其中π-共轭桥被二苯基-萘并吡喃光致变色单元取代。DSSC 在照射时显示出颜色变化和自调节透光率，并显示出高达 4.17% 的功率转换效率。着色-脱色过程是可逆的，这些 DSSC 可以稳定超过 50 天。我们还报告了半透明光致变色光伏微型模块（有效面积为 14 平方厘米），着色后的最大功率输出为 32.5 mW。