Spectral-shifting and holographic planar concentrators for use with photovoltaic solar cells

Abstract

Two types of solar concentrators for use with standard silicon photovoltaic cells are compared. The first is a spectral shifting luminescent concentrator that absorbs light in one spectral band and re-emits light at longer wavelengths where the absorption of standard silicon photovoltaic cells is more efficient. The second type is a holographic planar concentrator that selects the most useful bands of the solar spectrum and concentrates them onto the surface of the photovoltaic cell. Both types of concentrators take advantage of total internal reflected light, do not require tracking, and can operate with both direct and diffuse sunlight. The holographic planar concentrator provides a simpler and more cost effective solution with existing materials and construction methods.

Daily and seasonal performance of angularly dependent fixed mount dual aperture holographic planar concentrator photovoltaic modules

“…The dual aperture (DA) holographic planar concentrator (HPC) technology consists of spaced bifacial cells separated by strips of film that contain holographic volume gratings [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] . Diffraction of the light incident to the film is trapped in the glass package (due to total internal reflection) until it reaches the cell as shown in the diagram below.…”

Spectral beam splitting for efficient conversion of solar energy—A review

“…For example, holographic concentrators [33,34] can split sunlight into several bands along with concentrating it. This mechanism has been shown to be advantageous in low concentration solar collectors [35].…”

Scattering-based solar light collector

“…5,6 In particular, an often overlooked option is scattering, which can alter light propagation through interference effects. In fact, the effects of reflection and refraction themselves can be described as large-scale manifestations of many complex scattering events.…”