Paper
9 September 2013 Exploration of parameters influencing the self-absorption losses in luminescent solar concentrators with an experimentally validated combined ray-tracing/Monte-Carlo model
Zachar Krumer, Wilfried G. J. H. M. van Sark, Celso de Mello Donegá, Ruud E. I. Schropp
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are low cost photovoltaic devices, which reduce the amount of necessary semiconductor material per unit area of a photovoltaic solar energy converter by means of concentration. The device is comprised of a thin plastic plate in which luminescent species (fluorophores) have been incorporated.The fluorophores absorb the solar light and radiatively re-emit a part of the energy. Total internal reflection traps most of the emitted light inside the plate and wave-guides it to a narrow side facet with a solar cell attached, where conversion into electricity occurs. The eciency of such devices is as yet rather low, due to several loss mechanisms, of which self-absorption is of high importance. Combined ray-tracing and Monte-Carlosimulations is a widely used tool for efficiency estimations of LSC-devices prior to manufacturing. We have applied this method to a model experiment, in which we analysed the impact of self-absorption onto LSC-efficiency of fluorophores with different absorption/emission-spectral overlap (Stokes-shift): several organic dyes and semiconductor quantum dots (single compound and core/shell of type-II). These results are compared with the ones obtained experimentally demonstrating a good agreement. The validated model is used to investigate systematically the influence of spectral separation and luminescence quantum efficiency on the intensity loss inconsequence of increased self-absorption. The results are used to adopt a quantity called the self-absorption cross-section and establish it as reliable criterion for self-absorption properties of materials that can be obtained from fundamental data and has a more universal scope of application, than the currently used Stokes-shift.
© (2013) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Zachar Krumer, Wilfried G. J. H. M. van Sark, Celso de Mello Donegá, and Ruud E. I. Schropp "Exploration of parameters influencing the self-absorption losses in luminescent solar concentrators with an experimentally validated combined ray-tracing/Monte-Carlo model", Proc. SPIE 8821, High and Low Concentrator Systems for Solar Electric Applications VIII, 882104 (9 September 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2023682
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Cited by 7 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Photons

Absorption

Luminescence

Quantum efficiency

Solar concentrators

Quantum dots

Computer simulations

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