Researchers from Michigan State University have developed a transparent solar concentrator called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator (TLSC). It can be used on buildings, cell phones, and any other device that have a clear surface. The solar harvesting system uses small organic molecules to absorb specific non-visible wavelengths of sunlight. The molecules can be tuned to pick up ultraviolet and the near infrared wavelengths, and that then glow at another wavelength in the infrared. The glowing infrared light is guided to the edge of the plastic where it is converted to electricity by thin strips of photovoltaic solar cells. Since the materials doesn’t absorb or emit light in the visible spectrum, they look transparent to the human eye. More work is needed to improve its energy-producing efficiency. Currently it is able to produce a solar conversion efficiency close to 1 percent, but the researchers aim to reach efficiencies beyond 5 percent when fully optimized. The best-colored luminescent solar concentrator has an efficiency of around 7 percent.
Source: Michigan State University
