Design, fabrication and preliminary testing of plasmonic luminescent solar concentrator devices

Abstract

This paper details the design process, fabrication, optimisation and early-stage performance testing of Luminescent and Plasmonic Luminescent Solar Concentrator (LSC & PLSC) devices. A PLSC is a novel approach to solar concentrator technologies that utilizes the principles of luminescence and plasmonics to enhance the devices' solar energy conversion efficiency. This research analyses various mould dimensions, materials and lightguide fabrication methodologies to ensure equivalent LSC/PLSC devices were created in a reproducible method. The optimisation was an iterative process throughout the production and testing stages after which a 100 × 100 × 5 mm PLSC was identified as the optimal for a rooftop installation. To ensure consistency in production as well as assessing the practicality of PLSC installations for building integration, performance testing has been conducted in both indoor and outdoor environments. Additionally, the lifespan of the devices are currently being investigated through ongoing performance evaluations. The incorporation of a reflective backplate has resulted in device efficiency improvements between 14–18% during indoor tests and was consequently included for all devices during outdoor performance analysis. Power conversion efficiencies of 2.3% and 1.7% have been recorded in sub-optimal conditions as well as concentration ratios of 11 and 9 for the PLSC and LSC devices respectively.