Luminescent solar concentrators performing under different light conditions

The use of luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) is considered a promising option to impart energy harvesting capability to buildings with minimal alternation to the building structure. To fill the gap between fundamental research and practical application, this study investigated the performance (power conversion efficiency, eta(LSC) and power concentration ratio, C) of the LSCs of different sizes under different light conditions including simulated sunlight condition, outdoor sunny, overcast and raining conditions, and indoor condition employing four different types of light bulbs (i.e., incandescent, halogen, fluorescent and light-emitting diode). It was observed that the LSCs exhibited higher one-sun performance under outdoor sunny condition than under simulated sunlight. Under overcast and raining conditions, eta(LSC) decreased significantly with the increase of the device size. Under indoor incandescent and halogen light conditions, the LSCs exhibited low eta(LSC) due to the low percentage of the visible portion in the light spectrum. Surprisingly high eta(LSC) boosted by 50% compared to the outdoor sunny condition was obtained in the LSCs under fluorescent and LED light conditions. This research suggested very promising application of the LSCs in indoor light energy recycling, which has not been proposed before.