To achieve full solar spectrum absorption of organic dyes for organic solar cells and organic solar antenna collectors, a series of tetraanthracenylporphyrin derivatives including H-2(TAnP), H-2(alpha-F(4)TAnP), H-2(beta,beta'-F(8)TAnP), H-2(gamma,gamma'-F(8)TAnP), H-2(delta,delta'-F(8)TAnP), H-2[alpha-(NH2)(4)TAnP], H-2[beta,beta'-(NH2)(8)TAnP], H-2[gamma,gamma'-(NH2)(8)TAnP], and H-2[delta,delta'-(NH2)(8)TAnP] was designed and their electronic absorption spectra were systematically studied on the basis of TDDFT calculations. The nature of the broad and intense electronic absorptions of H-2(TAnP) in the range of 500-1700 nm is clearly revealed, and different types of pi -> pi* electronic transitions associated with different absorption bands are revealed to correspond to different electron density moving direction between peripherally fused 14-electron-pi-conjugated anthracene units and the central 18-electron-pi-conjugated porphyrin core. Introduction of electron-donating groups onto the periphery of the H-2(TAnP) macrocycle is revealed to be able to lead to novel NIR dyes such as H-2[alpha-(NH2)(4)TAnP] and H-2[delta,delta'-(NH2)(8)TAnP] with regulated UV-vis-NIR absorption bands covering the full solar spectrum in the range of 300-2400 nm.