Exploration of parameters influencing the self-absorption losses in luminescent solar concentrators with an experimentally validated combined ray-tracing/Monte-Carlo model

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are low cost photovoltaic devices, which reduce the amount of necessary semiconductor material per unit area of a photovoltaic solar energy converter by means of concentration. The device is comprised of a thin plastic plate in which luminescent species (fluorophores) have been incorporated. The fluorophores absorb the solar light and radiatively re-emit a part of the energy. Total internal reflection traps most of the emitted light inside the plate and wave-guides it to an arrow side facet with a solar cell attached, where conversion into electricity occurs. The efficiency of such devices is as yet rather low, due to several loss mechanisms, of which self-absorption is of high importance. Combined ray-tracing and Monte-Carlo simulations is a widely used tool for efficiency estimations of LSC-devices prior to manufacturing. We have applied this method to a model experiment, in which we analysed the impact of self-absorption onto LSC-efficiency of fluorophores with different absorption/emission-spectral overlap (Stokes-shift): several organic dyes and semiconductor quantum dots (single compound and core/shell of type-II). These results are compared with the ones obtained experimentally demonstrating a good agreement. The validated model is used to investigate systematically the influence of spectral separation and luminescence quantum efficiency on the intensity loss in consequence of increased self-absorption. The results are used to adopt a quantity called the self-absorption cross-section and establish it as reliable criterion for self-absorption properties of materials that can be obtained from fundamental data and has a more universal scope of application, than the currently used Stokes-shift.