A Thin-Film Model to Characterize a Luminescent Solar Concentrator for Higher Efficiency Electricity Generation

• Author / Creator

  Jayamaha, Don Jehan Savio Reshon

• A Luminescent Solar Concentrator (LSC) is a device that consists of a transparent plate with photovoltaic (PV) cells connected to one or more sides. The transparent plate functions as a waveguide and contains luminescent particles, such as organic dyes or quantum dots. The luminescent particles absorb sunlight and part of the re-emitted rays is guided towards the edges of the LSC by total internal reflection, where light is converted to electrical energy from the PV cells. The efficiency of the received sunlight directed to the edges of the LSC is determined by the size of the waveguide and the luminescent particles. This thesis outlined the important characteristics of the LSC, such that we can optimize its optical efficiency for best performance. Here, red-dye (Lumogen F 305) and silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) were studied, and their application to the LSC was simulated by modifying the physics of the photon interaction.
  Initially, a red-dye-based LSC model was simulated in ray-tracing software. The LSC simulation results are compared to existing experimental measurements. After the validation of results, the ray-tracing method was extended to the silicon quantum dot-based thin-film LSC model. Quantum dots were found to be a good luminescent particles for LSCs since they have a large Stokes shift, which reduces the re-absorption loss. Later, a silicon quantum dot thin-film LSC model was simulated, in which, a ray-tracing simulation model is developed to study the optical efficiency of a given LSC structure. The model consists of a low-iron glass with a copolymer film known as Poly (butyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) and silicon quantum dots embedded in it. The quantum dot characteristics were changed in this model, and the optical efficiencies were recorded. The models were used to present different parameter studies of the LSC to optimize performance.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Luminescent Solar Concentrator
  • Silicon Quantum dot
  • thin film luminescent solar concentrator
  • BiPV
  • Simulation
  • LSC

• Graduation date

  Spring 2023

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-skw5-7a03

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.