Luminescent Solar Concentrator Panel With Funnel Light Trapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Luminescent concentrator solar panels face efficiency issues due to reabsorption and light dispersion, particularly when used in semi-transparent configurations, leading to energy losses and reduced energy transfer to photovoltaic modules.
Innovation Solution
An enhanced luminescent concentrator panel design that absorbs incident energy without dispersion to the opposite wall, utilizing a funnel concentration effect and total reflection in the concentration zone, composed of a diffusive and reflective composite pigment with a reflective base, minimizing reabsorption and scattering losses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If luminescent concentrators are made semi-transparent to allow light passage, then aesthetic and architectural flexibility is improved, but energy transfer efficiency deteriorates due to light transmission to the opposite wall
Solution Approach 1:
The luminescent concentrator panel is divided into multiple segments or zones with different optical properties. Some zones are designed to be semi-transparent for architectural purposes while others are optimized for light concentration, allowing both aesthetic flexibility and energy efficiency to coexist in different portions of the same panel system
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the luminescent concentrator are assigned different local qualities - areas requiring transparency maintain semi-transparent properties while areas dedicated to energy concentration use opaque luminescent materials, optimizing both architectural adaptability and energy transfer efficiency in their respective locations
2Use of energy by moving object
If luminescent materials are used to convert sunlight, then solar energy utilization is improved, but reabsorption losses increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful reabsorption effect is extracted and removed from the system by carefully selecting luminescent materials with Stokes shift properties where the emitted light wavelength is significantly different from the absorption wavelength, preventing the emitted photons from being reabsorbed by the same luminescent molecules
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary optical system is introduced between the luminescent material and the photovoltaic cell, including reflective surfaces and light-guiding structures that channel the emitted light toward the PV cell while preventing it from returning to the luminescent material where reabsorption would occur
3Illumination intensity
If standard luminescent concentrator configuration is used with waveguide effects, then light concentration is achieved, but coupling efficiency and light trapping remain poor
Solution Approach 1:
The waveguide structure incorporates curved surfaces and optimized geometric profiles instead of simple flat configurations, creating multiple internal reflection paths that enhance light trapping and improve coupling efficiency between the luminescent material and the photovoltaic cell while maintaining light concentration
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 enhances solar energy utilization by reducing reabsorption and scattering, increasing the efficiency of photovoltaic systems by concentrating light onto photovoltaic cells without semitransparency, suitable for opaque surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
The dyes absorb light of specific wavelengths from the incident sunlight and re-emit the light in all directions at longer wavelengths
Implementation Method 2
A portion of this light is emitted within the critical angle of the waveguide support and is totally reflected internally and transported to the side photovoltaic module
Implementation Method 3
The luminescent concentrator converts sunlight through a composite pigment that acts as both a diffusion filter in the direction of sunlight incidence and a reflective element in the opposite direction for energy concentration
Implementation Method 4
The light diffused by the pigment is then concentrated in the underlying area through reflection between the pigment and the reflective base
Data Source
AI summary
The invention involves the development of an enhanced luminescent concentrator solar panel using a specific method to capture and concentrate the maximum percentage of solar energy. The solution is a luminescent solar panel that absorbs all incident energy without dispersion on the opposite side (no semi-transparency). This enhanced luminescent solar concentrator operates with sunlight and is made up of a transparent material, a specific distribution of composite pigment consisting of diffusive and reflective elements with an intermediate layer reflecting solar light, photovoltaic strips positioned at the lateral edges of the transparent portion, and a reflective base. Solar light incident on the panel is diffused by the pigment and trapped in the underlying part through a funnel-shaped region and the reflection between the intermediate layer and the lower reflective base of the panel. The trapped light remains concentrated and is transferred to the photovoltaic elements through reflection. This invention is innovative because it allows for the creation of an enhanced luminescent concentrator solar panel (LSC) that absorbs the majority of incident energy, reducing losses. This application is highly effective as it can be used as a coating for opaque surfaces (non-glass) in green energy generation. These results are achieved without the need for expensive materials or equipment, thanks to the synergies among the constituent parts, making it ready for immediate industrialization.