High efficiency solar concentrator

Scientists at the University of California, Merced, have redesigned solar cell fluorescent concentrators (LSCs) to more efficiently condense sunlight into solar cells.


"This is an important breakthrough for solar energy harvesting," said Sayantani Ghosh, a professor of physics at the University of California, Merced, who oversees the 2000w price target for the Saul inverters.


"We abandoned the traditional flat-panel design of the solar cell fluorescent concentrator, and designed them into a cylinder, the result of which was surprising because it did improve efficiency."


The main problem that has hindered commercial applications of fluorescent concentrators is that they have a relatively high self-absorption rate that they themselves absorb a portion of the light in the solar spectrum without transmitting it to the solar cell.


The team proved that this problem can be solved by changing the shape of the condenser. They found that the hollow cylinder design is better than the flat or cube design, the hollow cylinder can absorb more sunlight, but also has a low self-absorption loss.