透明的螢光太陽能集光器（luminescent solar concentrator, LSC）｜圖片來源：Yimu Zhao
這就是透明的螢光太陽能集光器（luminescent solar concentrator, LSC），可以供建築物、手機和一些平坦、透明表面性質的裝置及設備使用。雖然關於太陽能電池材料的相關研究早已不是新鮮事；儘管有那麼多的研究投入，但還是能源效率低，而材料也不夠透明。
「沒有人會想要坐在彩色的玻璃後面工作，太過色彩繽紛的環境會讓人感覺像在舞廳。因此我們想讓LSC的發光活性層更加的透明。」密西根州立大學化學工程與材料科學助理教授倫特（Richard Lunt）說。
這樣的太陽能收集系統採用了倫特與其研究團隊開發的有機小分子，可以吸收太陽光中特定波長的不可見光。
他們調整這些材料讓它能只選擇紫外線與近紅外線吸收，並轉換成其他波長的紅外線，再將轉換後的紅外光引導到塑料的邊緣，由薄條狀的光伏太陽能電池（ photovoltaic solar cells）產生電能。
由於這個材料不會吸收或發出可見光譜中的光，所以在人眼看來會非常地透明。
「非侵入式部署太陽能開啟了很多新的領域，像是可以用在有很多窗戶的高樓大廈，或是對外觀美感較為要求的行動裝置，例如手機或是電子閱讀器。」而最後，倫特與他的研究團隊希望可以讓人完全感受不到太陽能收集器的存在。
但要讓這樣的技術在未來實際應用於商業及工業上還需要壓低成本， 以及提高產能效率。研究團隊希望能在全面優化後，將太陽能的轉換率從目前的接近1％提升到超過5％。你可能會驚訝原來這麼沒效率，但其實現在最佳的有色LSC的轉換率也只有大概7％左右。
能邊慵懶曬著太陽又能邊收集太陽能，邊用手機又能邊幫手機充電的小日子，可能離我們還是有那麼一點遠吧。
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers at Michigan State University has developed a new type of solar concentrator that when placed over a window creates solar energy while allowing people to actually see through the window.
It is called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator and can be used on buildings, cell phones and any other device that has a flat, clear surface.
And, according to Richard Lunt of MSU's College of Engineering, the key word is "transparent."
Research in the production of energy from solar cells placed around luminescent plastic-like materials is not new. These past efforts, however, have yielded poor results – the energy production was inefficient and the materials were highly colored.
"No one wants to sit behind colored glass," said Lunt, an assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science. "It makes for a very colorful environment, like working in a disco. We take an approach where we actually make the luminescent active layer itself transparent."
The solar harvesting system uses small organic molecules developed by Lunt and his team to absorb specific nonvisible wavelengths of sunlight.
"We can tune these materials to pick up just the ultraviolet and the near infrared wavelengths that then 'glow' at another wavelength in the infrared," he said.
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.
"Because the materials do not absorb or emit light in the visible spectrum, they look exceptionally transparent to the human eye," Lunt said.
One of the benefits of this new development is its flexibility. While the technology is at an early stage, it has the potential to be scaled to commercial or industrial applications with an affordable cost.
"It opens a lot of area to deploy solar energy in a non-intrusive way," Lunt said. "It can be used on tall buildings with lots of windows or any kind of mobile device that demands high aesthetic quality like a phone or e-reader. Ultimately we want to make solar harvesting surfaces that you do not even know are there."
A transparent luminescent solar concentrator waveguide is shown with colorful traditional luminescent solar concentrators in the background. The new LSC can create solar energy but is not visible on windows or other clear surfaces. Photo by G.L. Kohuth.
Lunt said more work is needed in order to improve its energy-producing efficiency. Currently it is able to produce a solar conversion efficiency close to 1 percent, but noted they aim to reach efficiencies beyond 5 percent when fully optimized. The best colored LSC has an efficiency of around 7 percent.
Source:http://phys.org/news/2014-08-solar-desnt-block-view.html
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