Luminescent Solar Concentrator Technologies

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are photonic devices that capture sunlight over a large area and guide emitted light to photovoltaic cells at the device perimeter. Typically constructed from transparent polymer or glass waveguides doped with emissive species—ranging from organic dyes and semiconductor quantum dots to perovskite nanocrystals and carbon nanodots—LSCs absorb incident photons and re-emit them at longer wavelengths. Total internal reflection confines this luminescence within the waveguide, concentrating it at the edges where small-area solar cells convert it into electricity. Recent advances have focused on enhancing the photoluminescence quantum yield of luminophores, engineering large Stokes shifts to suppress reabsorption losses, and integrating devices into built environments as semi-transparent windows, façade elements and noise barriers. Major challenges remain in scaling from laboratory to commercial sizes without efficiency drop-off, maintaining long-term stability under solar exposure, and reconciling optical performance with architectural requirements. Nevertheless, progress in nanomaterial synthesis, waveguide design and standardised measurement protocols is rapidly moving LSCs towards cost-effective, aesthetically versatile solar energy solutions for urban deployment.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A foundational study demonstrated the integration of heavy-metal-free CuInS₂/ZnS core–shell quantum dots into polymer waveguides, achieving a record optical efficiency through a combination of large Stokes shift (>150 nm) and high photoluminescence quantum yield (>80%). This design delivered a threefold increase in power conversion when coupled to silicon solar cells, illustrating the potential of non-toxic, high-performance luminophores. The work established key design rules for selecting and embedding quantum dots with minimal overlap between absorption and emission spectra, setting benchmarks for subsequent device development and scalable production.

Luminescent Solar Concentrator Technologies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in luminescent solar concentrator technologies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Waveguide: A transparent medium (glass or polymer) that confines and guides emitted photons by total internal reflection.

Luminophore: An emissive species (dye, quantum dot or nanocrystal) that absorbs sunlight and re-emits it at a longer wavelength.

Photoluminescence quantum yield: The ratio of photons emitted to photons absorbed by a luminophore; a measure of its emission efficiency.

Stokes shift: The difference between the peak absorption and emission wavelengths of a luminophore, crucial for reducing self-absorption.

Reabsorption loss: The loss of emitted photons when they are reabsorbed by the luminophore before reaching the waveguide edge, lowering overall efficiency.

References

1. Luminescent solar concentrators for building integrated photovoltaics: opportunities and challenges. Energy & Environmental Science (2023).
2. Large Stokes Shift and High Efficiency Luminescent Solar Concentrator Incorporated with CuInS2/ZnS Quantum Dots. Scientific Reports (2015).
3. Engineering high-emissive silicon-doped carbon nanodots towards efficient large-area luminescent solar concentrators. Nano Energy (2022).
4. Mn2+/Yb3+ Codoped CsPbCl3 Perovskite Nanocrystals with Triple‐Wavelength Emission for Luminescent Solar Concentrators. Advanced Science (2020).
5. Laboratory protocols for measuring and reporting the performance of luminescent solar concentrators. Energy & Environmental Science (2021).
6. The solar noise barrier project: 1. Effect of incident light orientation on the performance of a large-scale luminescent solar concentrator noise barrier. Renewable Energy (2017).