Cylindrical array luminescent solar concentrators: performance boosts by geometric effects

This paper presents an investigation of the geometric effects within a cylindrical array luminescent solar concentrator (LSC). Photon concentration of a cylindrical LSC increases linearly with cylinder length up to 2 metres. Raytrace modelling on the shading effects of circles on their neighbours demonstrates effective incident light trapping in a cylindrical LSC array at angles of incidence between 60-70 degrees. Raytrace modelling with real-world lighting conditions shows optical efficiency boosts when the sunaAZs angle of incidence is within this angle range. On certain days, 2 separate times of peak optical efficiency can be attained over the course of sunrise-solar noon. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America