Performance of wedge-shaped luminescent solar concentrators employing phosphor films and annual energy estimation case studies

Michael D. Hughes, Duncan E. Smith and Diana-Andra Borca-Tasciuc

Renewable Energy, 2020, vol. 160, issue C, 513-525

Abstract: Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are solar devices that focus sunlight through red-shifted internal reflection and have been proposed as a potential alternative to traditional photovoltaic (PV) panels. Such systems also have potential applications as multi-functional building envelope materials. This paper investigates the performance of wedge-shaped LSCs employing inorganic luminescent phosphors that demonstrate enhanced performance at incidence angles that conventional solar panels do not use effectively. This behavior is investigated experimentally through the current-voltage (I–V) characteristics of solar cells attached to wedge-shaped LSCs illuminated at angles covering the entire range of possible insolation conditions. Similar experiments were also performed on solar cells to determine the power ratio, or the power produced by solar cells within an LSC normalized to the power produced by bare solar cells exposed to identical insolation conditions. Using laboratory measured power ratio and recorded direct normal irradiance data for two case studies in Phoenix AZ and Albany NY, the annual energy production for wedge-shaped LSCs mounted on vertical walls due to direct-beam irradiance was determined. The energy produced by solar cells within vertically installed LSCs is between 20 and 40% above annual energy produced by vertically installed solar panels, depending on location and orientation (facing east or south). Moreover, depending on orientation, wedge-LSC power production peaks at traditionally suboptimal times for a solar panel. In all, these results demonstrate the potential for wedge-shaped LSCs as a power harvesting building envelope, an architectural solution emerging in response to net-zero energy building legislation.

Keywords: Building-integrated photovoltaics; Luminescent solar concentrators; Inorganic phosphor; Solar energy; Energy production estimate; Incidence angle (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148120310818
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:160:y:2020:i:c:p:513-525

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2020.07.005

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable Energy is currently edited by Soteris A. Kalogirou and Paul Christodoulides

More articles in Renewable Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().