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Project title

The development of plasmonic luminescent solar concentrators for small photovoltaic panels suitable for remote area applications

Primary Funding Agency

Irish Research Council

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

Technological University Dublin (TUD)

Lead Applicant

n/a

Project Abstract

Despite the continuous development of the photovoltaic (PV) system, the solar energy remains a commodity insufficiently exploited due to the limited spectral response of the current PV systems leading to high costs per unit power. In remote area applications like environmental sensing, outdoor Wi-Fi networks and Internet of Things applications etc., the size to power and the reduced cost of the PV are crucial. Therefore, enhancing the PV ability to capture more light is mandatory to increase the efficiency of PVs and their implementation in remote area applications. The performance enhancement of monocrystalline silicon based PV systems was recently demonstrated in Dublin Energy Lab at Technological University Dublin by coupling the principle of plasmonic enhancement with the emission from quantum dots or organic/organometallic molecules in flat solar concentrators and downshifting layers. In this project luminescent concentration of solar energy will be investigated using cylindrical concentrating devices, exploiting the enhanced concentration potential of cylindrical geometries over flat-plate devices. The Plasmonic Coated Cylindrical Solar Concentrator (PCCSC) devices will be fabricated by adapting the existing coating methods for flat substrates to cylindrical geometry and through the incorporation of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) with luminescent species. PCCSC will be modelled using an established ray-trace approach (e.g. using the open-source package PVTrace) and tested using optical and electrical measurements, the optimisation being envisaged through a combination of modelling and testing steps. The project also seeks to develop new designs and to incorporate optimised PCCSC devices into realistic small-scale architectures for solar energy harvesting suitable for remote applications (e.g. a miniaturized �solar tree� where PCCSCs assemblies act as �leaves and branches� to collect solar energy and concentrate it onto a PV cell). The architectural designs will be validated based on minimising costs, maximise re-collection of lost photons and on the aesthetic of real-world devices.

Grant Approved

�52,500

Research Hub

Climate related research

Research Theme

Achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

Start Date

01/10/2021

Initial Projected Completion Date

30/09/2023