Acceleration of solar power consumption through the use of equipment based on transparent luminescent solar concentrators, such as transparent solar panels

Abstract

Solar energy is one of the most promising renewable sources, which accelerates the process of global transition to a low-carbon future. By 2050, it is estimated that solar energy will generate around 48 percent of the world’s electricity. However, to increase this number even more, new methods of how solar technologies can be integrated into the urban environment must be found. The main challenge is to find more alternative ways of how else solar technology can be integrated into modern infrastructure in a more efficient and practical way. This study is focused on one such solution, which is called a transparent solar panel also known as LSC-PV system. This technology can generate energy from windows, and not only the windows of buildings, but also any glazed surface which is integrated into structures. Transparent solar panels use luminescent solar concentrators embedded with luminophore materials such as zinc oxide quantum dots. This type of luminophore material absorbs ultraviolet light while letting visible light pass through it, maintaining a certain level of transparency that enables it to function as a window. The main objective is to analyze and calculate performance results of fabricated and optimized Zn-LSC-PV systems using experimental data from an external experiment. The first simulation involves the measurements of reference PV-cell alone when it is directly illuminated under the sunlight. In the second simulation this reference PV-cell is attached to the edge side of the fabricated zinc oxide concentrator, forming the fabricated Zn-LSC-PV system, to check the reference PV cell performance results when it is not directly illuminated with sunlight but operating as a system with concentrator, in this case light reaches the PV cell on the edge side due to internal reflection inside the concentrator. The third simulation adjusts the optical properties of concentrator in COMSOL Multiphysics to get the best possible results based on material limitations. Parameters such as optical efficiency, concentration factor, maximum power output, and power conversion efficiency, are calculated and compared. The results showed that the optimized version achieved better performance results, especially in maximum power output, which showed the highest result of 50 mW with the LSC length of 50 cm, while the fabricated system´s power output was 15 mW with the LSC length of 25 cm, in comparison to reference PV cell alone, which showed 14.39 mW. However, the power conversion efficiency of both of these systems was still relatively low compared to the reference PV cell. Using obtained value of the power conversion efficiency of fabricated Zn-LSC-PV system, it was estimated that the Shanghai Tower, fully equipped with such technology instead of its glazed façade surface area, could generate 98.805 MWh/year.