Light-Guide Solar Concentrator With Waveguide Light Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing two-stage solar concentrators require high precision in assembly and are not energy efficient, necessitating improvements in manufacturing and energy harvesting.
Innovation Solution
A light-guide solar energy concentrator with a light-condensing layer and an optical waveguide layer that focuses and collimates sunlight, using deflectors and reflecting elements for total internal reflection to guide light to a collection area, allowing for reduced manufacturing complexity and increased energy concentration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If light is transferred through very small optical apertures in conventional two-stage solar concentrators, then energy concentration is achieved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The concentrator is divided into functionally independent modules: a light-collecting layer with light-guiding elements and a light-converting layer with photovoltaic cells. This segmentation allows each module to be manufactured and assembled separately, reducing the precision requirements for the overall assembly while maintaining effective light transfer through the modular interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
Light-guiding elements act as intermediaries between the light-collecting layer and photovoltaic cells. These elements receive light from larger aperture areas and guide it to the photovoltaic cells, effectively decoupling the aperture size from the cell size and reducing the precision requirements for direct coupling.
2Use of energy by moving object
If conventional two-stage solar concentrators are used, then solar energy can be harvested, but energy loss occurs during light transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The light-guiding elements provide continuous light transfer paths from the light-collecting layer to the photovoltaic cells, minimizing interruptions and losses in the light transmission process. This continuous guidance ensures that light energy is efficiently transferred without significant loss at interface points.
3Use of energy by moving object
If high precision assembly is required for small optical apertures, then energy concentration is maintained, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the concentrator into modular layers with light-guiding elements, the system achieves energy concentration without requiring high-precision assembly of small apertures. Each module can be manufactured with standard tolerances and assembled in a simplified manner while maintaining optical effectiveness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves higher energy concentration with reduced manufacturing costs and tolerances, enabling more efficient solar energy harvesting and simplified assembly compared to conventional systems.
Implementation Method 1
a light-condensing layer which focuses and collimates the light
Implementation Method 2
guides the light laterally within the waveguide towards a solar collector by total internal reflections with almost no loss of energy
Data Source
AI summary
A light-guide solar concentrator that requires less precision to assemble and manufacture than some other two-layer solar concentrators has a light-condensing layer and an optical waveguide layer. The light-condensing layer includes a plurality of focusing elements for focusing incident sunlight and a plurality of corresponding collimating elements for collimating the light for output to the optical waveguide layer. The optical waveguide layer receives the collimated light and has a plurality of deflectors for redirecting the light for lateral transmission through the optical waveguide layer toward an exit surface. A secondary optic optically coupled to the exit surface can also be provided to redirect the light toward a light collection area where a solar energy collector can be placed to harvest the concentrated sunlight.