Unsaturated polyester resin blended with MMA as potential host matrix for luminescent solar concentrator

Yun Seng Lim, Chin Kim Lo and Geok Bee Teh

Renewable Energy, 2012, vol. 45, issue C, 156-162

Abstract: The Luminescent Solar Concentrator (LSC) is a polymer plate that contains a luminescent specimen with photovoltaic (PV) cells attached to its edges. Light entering on the plate is absorbed by the luminescent material which in turn emits light. Part of the emitted light propagates through the plate and arrives at the PV cells through the total internal reflection. The ratio of the area of the relatively cheap polymer plate to that of the expensive PV cells is increased. At present, PMMA (poly(methyl methacrylate)) is the preferred host matrix for LSCs due to its satisfactory optical clarity, refractive index, photo-stability and mechanical resistance. In order to maximize the benefits of using LSCs, this paper proposes an alternative host matrix made of unsaturated polyester (UP). An appropriate amount of MMA is used in producing LSCs in order to enhance the optical transparency and refractive index of LSCs. The cost of such LSCs is lower than that of PMMA.

Keywords: Luminescent solar concentrator; Unsaturated polyester (UP); Methylmethacrylate (MMA) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148112001644
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:45:y:2012:i:c:p:156-162

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2012.02.025

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 ().