Luminescent solar concentrators for building integrated photovoltaics: opportunities and challenges

Abstract

This review examines the application of luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) for building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), both in terms of opaque façade elements and as semi-transparent windows. Many luminophores have been...

The Role of Solar Spectral Beam Splitters in Enhancing the Solar-Energy Conversion of Existing PV and PVT Technologies

“…The simplicity of retrofitting SBS-PVT devices to existing PV systems highlights the great potential for the integration of existing systems [173]. The coupling of the retrofitting of a PV device with the aesthetic direction of building integrated PV devices will provide the basis of support for localised energy generation within residential or commercial buildings [18,37,48,52,53,[67][68][69]. The encouragement of these forms of energy-generation system increases the overall energy security of populations while also aiding in reducing energy costs for commercial and residential dwellings.…”

“…The implementation of a traditional PV-module system is subject to various constraints and limitations, such as the heavy weight (which reduces the specific power), the difficulty in building integration, and geometries [37]. The majority of current technologies use a standard planar-geometry silicon module (Figure 2a).…”

“…Traditionally, silicon solar panels are fixed to roofs (Figure 2a) and placed in large arrays. This requires strict design limitations with fixed geometries, which can cause issues for designing aesthetically pleasing architectural structures [37,38]. Hence, the demand has arisen for a power-generation system which is capable of providing more control over the geometries and the subtle implementation of solar-energy technologies.…”

Highly efficient and stable tandem luminescent solar concentrators based on carbon dots and CuInSe2−xSx/ZnS quantum dots

“…12 Although organic dyes have a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY), the relatively small Stokes shift and severe reabsorption limit their optical conversion performance. 13 In recent decades, the rapid development of wet chemical synthesis for colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals has provided new ideas and directions for efficient LSCs. Compared to organic dyes, inorganic colloidal quantum dots (QDs) exhibit a tunable band gap, 14 engineered Stokes shift, 15 relatively high PL QYs and photo/chemical stabiliy.…”

Comparing a covalently linked BODIPY–pyrene system versus the corresponding physical mixture as chromophores in luminescent solar concentrators

“…Due to the high refraction index of the LSC matrix which causes a total internal reflection phenomenon, the luminescence is waveguided to the edges of the material, where photovoltaic panels are mounted and convert emitted photons into electrical energy. 12–15 LSCs can be applied in a series of urban architectures, for instance in noise barriers, 16–18 greenhouses, 19 and bus stops, 20 or used as windows, thus “invisibly” incorporating the PV panels in the buildings, without altering the indoor illumination and helping the diffusion of photovoltaic technologies on large areas. 21…”