Light-Guide Solar Panel Using Total Internal Reflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) modules are bulky and costly due to the need for extensive PV cell material and complex structural enclosures for concentrating optical elements, which increases material costs and handling complexity.
Innovation Solution
A light-guide solar panel design that uses a light-insertion stage with optical elements to direct sunlight into an optical waveguide stage, where it is trapped and concentrated through total internal reflection, allowing for a thinner, less bulky module with reduced PV cell material and simpler structural requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If concentrating optical elements are used to concentrate sunlight on a smaller PV cell surface area, then the amount of PV cell material required is reduced, but the module becomes bulkier and requires complex structural enclosures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the optical elements (lenses or reflectors) directly with the PV cell by forming them from the same monolithic piece of semiconductor material using selective epitaxial growth. This integration eliminates the need for separate structural enclosures to hold and align optical elements, as they become an inherent part of the PV cell structure itself, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining light concentration functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The PV cell is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the photovoltaic converter and the optical concentrating element. The selective epitaxial layers create regions with different optical properties (lens or reflector functionality) within the same device structure, eliminating the need for separate optical components and their supporting structures.
2Volume of moving object
If the size of PV cells is reduced to decrease bulkiness, then the module becomes less bulky, but dicing PV cells into smaller cells increases complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates functional segmentation within a single monolithic PV cell by using selective epitaxial growth to form different semiconductor layers in specific regions. This allows the cell to be divided into functional zones (light-receiving regions, concentrating optical elements, electrical contact regions) without physically cutting or dicing the cell, thereby achieving size reduction and functional differentiation without increasing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of dicing and assembling multiple small cells with a semiconductor fabrication process (selective epitaxial growth) that creates functional regions within a single cell. This substitution of mechanical cutting with chemical vapor deposition eliminates dicing complexity while achieving the same effect of creating smaller functional units.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional CPV modules are designed with separate optical elements and PV cells, then optical alignment is flexible, but the module requires extensive PV cell material and complex structural enclosures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the optical element and PV cell into a single monolithic structure formed by selective epitaxial growth. This merging eliminates the need for separate components and their alignment, while the epitaxial process inherently creates the precise optical alignment needed for concentration functionality. The integration reduces PV cell material usage because the optical elements are formed from the same material without requiring additional cells for alignment structures.
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 design results in a more compact, cost-effective solar panel that maintains concentration efficiency while reducing material usage and structural complexity, enabling self-supporting modules with minimal external enclosures.
Implementation Method 1
the optical waveguide stage for guiding the light towards the output surface
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is that of a solar energy system that uses a light-guide solar panel (LGSP) to trap light inside a dielectric or other transparent panel and propagates the light to one of the panel edges for harvesting by a solar energy collector such as a photovoltaic cell. This allows for very thin modules whose thickness is comparable to the height of the solar energy collector. This eliminates the depth requirements inherent in traditional concentrated photovoltaic solar energy systems.