SPACE STATION SOLAR CONCENTRATOR MATERIALS RESEARCH

International Space Station life science research funding.

Planar micro-optic solar concentrator.

We present a new approach to solar concentration where sunlight collected by each lens in a two-dimensional lens array is coupled into a shared, planar waveguide using localized features placed at each lens focus. This geometry yields a thin, flat profile for moderate concentration systems which may be fabricated by low-cost roll manufacture. We provide analyses of tradeoffs and show optimized ...

Project title : Novel luminescent materials for a concentrator approach to enhanced efficiency solar energy conversion

We used the limited funds of this grant to conduct cutting edge research on perovskite materials and their use in solar cells. We have made breakthroughs and are having strong impact in the field. We have submitted two major proposals to DOE-EERE SunShot program for funding in cooperation with an industrial partner OmniPV Inc and Dyesol Inc but both times we were turned down. Our efforts howeve...

Reliability of III-V concentrator solar cells

III-V concentrator solar cells are starting to be commercialized. However, no complete studies about their reliability have been carried out. A review about both the accelerated ageing tests and real time tests developed till now is presented. A proposal about the required tests is also done. In this stage, the tests show that III-V concentrator cells are robust devices with MTTFs well over the...

Graded-index planar waveguide solar concentrator.

Planar waveguides are useful to transport, concentrate and distribute light uniformly over large dimensions. Their capacity to collect and gather light efficiently over a large distance is interesting for many applications, like backlighting and solar concentration. For these reasons, the possibility of making them even more efficient could be of considerable interest for the community. The obs...