We have developed a raytrace model for luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) and carried out a comparison with other, established models to verify its accuracy. We have applied the model to compare the performance of homogeneous against thin film LSCs on small (5cm × 5cm) and large scales (1m × 1m) and concluded no noticeable difference. Measurements of small LSCs support this result, which encourages us to pursue the thin film configuration due to its advantages over the conventional LSC in other respects. Furthermore, we have investigated the impact of the diffuse component of solar irradiation compared to the direct one. The raytrace model has demonstrated that under cloudy conditions the diffuse and direct components contribute approximately equal amounts to the LSC performance. This is in agreement with the non-tracking concept of the LSC.
展开▼
