Transparent Solar Cells Using Narrow-Band Luminophore Absorption
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transparent solar energy harvesting devices struggle to effectively absorb both ultraviolet and visible light while maintaining high transparency and color neutrality, limiting their power generation and aesthetic performance.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating luminophores that absorb light in the UV and visible regions and emit visible light, coupled with photovoltaic cells that convert this light into energy, while using materials with narrow-band absorption peaks to minimize impact on transparency and color coordinates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If luminophores with broad absorption bands are used to increase power generation, then power output is improved, but transparency and color neutrality are degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The absorption spectrum is segmented into multiple narrow bands, each handled by a different luminophore with a specific absorption peak. This allows selective absorption of particular wavelength ranges while transmitting other wavelengths, thereby maintaining overall transparency and color neutrality while still capturing sufficient light for power generation.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the spectrum are treated differently by assigning specific luminophores to absorb at specific wavelengths. Each luminophore is optimized for its local absorption band, creating a distributed system where each component contributes to power generation without compromising the overall optical properties of the device.
2Power
If multiple luminophores with different absorption peaks are incorporated, then power generation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple luminophores with different absorption characteristics are combined within a single transparent solar energy harvesting device structure. This merging approach allows the device to capture a broader spectrum of light for power generation while maintaining a unified device architecture, thereby improving power output without proportionally increasing device complexity.
3Illumination intensity
If narrow-band absorption materials are used, then transparency is maintained, but power generation is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent solar energy harvesting device serves multiple functions simultaneously: it maintains transparency for visible light transmission, captures UV and blue light for power generation, and provides color neutrality. By incorporating multiple luminophores with complementary absorption bands, the device achieves multi-functionality, capturing a broader spectrum for power generation while preserving transparency and aesthetic properties.
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 enables transparent devices to generate additional electrical power from visible light without significantly degrading transparency or color neutrality, enhancing power output by up to 34% while maintaining desirable aesthetic properties.
Implementation Method 1
The one or more luminophores absorb light in the UV region and the visible region, and the one or more luminophores emit visible light in the visible region
Implementation Method 2
one or more photovoltaic cells configured to absorb the visible light emitted by the one or more luminophores and absorb solar radiation. The absorption of the visible light and the solar radiation by the one or more photovoltaic cells generates energy
Data Source
AI summary
Illustrative embodiments of the invention generally relate to photovoltaics and solar energy harvesting devices and, particularly, to those that are transparent or semi-transparent, allowing sufficient visible light through them to allow visualization of objects through them, and more particularly, to those that supplement their primary near ultraviolet light absorption with secondary and/or tertiary absorptions of narrow bands of visible light while maintaining their transparency. Various embodiments of the invention relate to single solar materials with both primary ultraviolet absorption and secondary, narrow-band visible absorption, while some embodiments of the invention utilize mixtures of one or more materials to realize a primary ultraviolet absorption of light with secondary, or even tertiary, narrow bands of visible light absorption. Means of manufacturing such photovoltaics and solar energy harvesting devices will also be disclosed as well as the applications and uses thereof.