Case 13284

Applications for Luminescent Solar Concentrators

Keywords:

Indoor application of luminescent solar concentrator (LSCs)

Applications:

Power wireless sensors, network nodes, small appliances, displays, systems monitoring, electrical grid power distribution systems, even the human body

Problem:

High efficiency degradation for photovoltaic devices that scavenge or harvest power from ambient indoor lighting

Technology:

This invention uses LSCs coupled with solar cells in indoor applications to compensate for the efficiency degradation caused by low illumination conditions. Optical concentrators concentrate light by the combination of refraction, reflection, absorption and subsequent waveguide emission. PVs with visible band gaps are used in concentrated configuration to maximize power conversion efficiency.

Advantages:
  • Increased electrical output
  • Compatible with both diffuse and direct illumination
  • Simultaneous conversion of light absorbed over multiple collector faces
  • Prevent overheating the solar cell by concentrating lower ambient light intensity

    • Inventors:
    • Professor Marc A. Baldo(Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT)
    • Timothy D. Heidel (Energy Initiative, MIT)
    • Jonathan K. Mapel (Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT)
    • Michael Segal (Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT)
    • Michael James Currie (Lincoln Laboratory)
    • Shalom Goffri (Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT)

    Intellectual Property:

    US Patent Application Number 13/566348, filed on August 3, 2012

    Publications:

    N/A

    Related Cases:

    13289: Materials for Luminescent Solar Concentrators

    13296: Methods for Increasing Power Output from Luminescent Solar Concentrators

    Last revised: April 30, 2013

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