Luminescent solar energy concentrator devices
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsAhmed H. Zewail, J. Samuel Batchelder
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Increased light output is achieved from a solar energy concentrator light piping device by rendering the top surface of the device concave, and/or forming the device into a close-packing hexagonal shape and/or curving and applying a mirror coating to the output edge of the device.
Claims14
In a light concentration device comprising a transparent substrate having an index of refraction greater than that of the ambient surrounding the device, and having an incident light receiving front surface, a back surface, a light emitting side edge and containing a uniform concentration of at least one efficient fluorescent dye for absorbing said light and reemitting light by fluorescence which travels through said substrate to said edge, the improvement comprising said substrate having a concave front surface and the ratio of the radius of curvature of the back surface to the radius of curvature of the front surface is greater than 1.0.
A solar collection assembly comprising in combination an array of hexagonal luminsecent solar concentrator elements placed edge to edge formed of transparent material having an index of refraction greater than that of the surrounding ambient and containing at least one efficient fluorescent dye, the front surface of each element having a concave curvature and a short portion of the front and back surface of each element adjacent each edge having a convex curvature and a reflective coating applied to the convexly curved portion;
- and at least one photovoltaic cell disposed between each of the edge intersections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.