The Experts below are selected from a list of 4485 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform

Nazir P. Kherani - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

Sergio Brovelli - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Luminescent solar concentrators for building-Integrated Photovoltaics
    Nature Reviews Materials, 2017
    Co-Authors: Francesco Meinardi, Francesco Bruni, Sergio Brovelli
    Abstract:

    Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) offer a unique opportunity to ‘invisibly’ integrate semi-transparent photovoltaic architectural elements, such as electrodeless glazing units, into the building envelope. This Review highlights the advancements making LSCs a realistic technology for near zero-energy buildings, along with the remaining challenges and strategies for further device optimization. The transition to fully energetically sustainable architecture through the realization of so-called net zero-energy buildings is currently in progress in areas with low population density. However, this is not yet true in cities, where the cost of land for the installation of ground photovoltaic (PV) is prohibitively high and the rooftop space is too scarce to accommodate the PV modules necessary for sustaining the electrical requirements of tall buildings. Thus, new technologies are being investigated to integrate solar-harvesting devices into building façades in the form of PV windows or envelope elements. Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are the most promising technology for semi-transparent, electrodeless PV glazing systems that can be Integrated ‘invisibly’ into the built environment without detrimental effects to the aesthetics of the building or the quality of life of the inhabitants. After 40 years of research, recent breakthroughs in the realization of reabsorption-free emitters with broadband absorption have boosted the performance of LSCs to such a degree that they might be commercialized in the near future. In this Perspective, we explore the successful strategies that have allowed this change of pace, examining and comparing the different types of chromophores and waveguide materials, and discuss the issues that remain to be investigated for further progress.

  • Highly efficient luminescent solar concentrators based on earth-abundant indirect-bandgap silicon quantum dots
    Nature Photonics, 2017
    Co-Authors: Francesco Meinardi, Francesco Carulli, Roberto Simonutti, Francesco Bruni, Samantha Ehrenberg, Lorena Dhamo, Michele Mauri, Uwe Kortshagen, Sergio Brovelli
    Abstract:

    Building-Integrated Photovoltaics is gaining consensus as a renewable energy technology for producing electricity at the point of use. Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) could extend architectural integration to the urban environment by realizing electrode-less photovoltaic windows. Crucial for large-area LSCs is the suppression of reabsorption losses, which requires emitters with negligible overlap between their absorption and emission spectra. Here, we demonstrate the use of indirect-bandgap semiconductor nanostructures such as highly emissive silicon quantum dots. Silicon is non-toxic, low-cost and ultra-earth-abundant, which avoids the limitations to the industrial scaling of quantum dots composed of low-abundance elements. Suppressed reabsorption and scattering losses lead to nearly ideal LSCs with an optical efficiency of η  = 2.85%, matching state-of-the-art semi-transparent LSCs. Monte Carlo simulations indicate that optimized silicon quantum dot LSCs have a clear path to η  > 5% for 1 m^2 devices. We are finally able to realize flexible LSCs with performances comparable to those of flat concentrators, which opens the way to a new design freedom for building-Integrated Photovoltaics elements. Reabsorption losses in luminescent solar concentrators can be avoided by the use of indirect-bandgap semiconductor nanostructures. The technology has been used to demonstrate flexible luminescent solar concentrators with performance comparable to flat concentrators.

Geoffrey A Ozin - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

Kuang Sheng - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • mgzno high voltage thin film transistors on glass for inverters in building Integrated Photovoltaics
    Scientific Reports, 2016
    Co-Authors: Wenchiang Hong, Siamak Abbaslou, Pavel Ivanoff Reyes, Szuying Wang, Kuang Sheng
    Abstract:

    Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) have attracted considerable interests because of its aesthetically attractive appearance and overall low cost. In BIPV, system integration on a glass substrate like windows is essential to cover a large area of a building with low cost. However, the conventional high voltage devices in inverters have to be built on the specially selected single crystal substrates, limiting its application for large area electronic systems, such as the BIPV. We demonstrate a Magnesium Zinc Oxide (MZO) based high voltage thin film transistor (HVTFT) built on a transparent glass substrate. The devices are designed with unique ring-type structures and use modulated Mg doping in the channel - gate dielectric interface, resulting in a blocking voltage of over 600 V. In addition to BIPV, the MZO HVTFT based inverter technology also creates new opportunities for emerging self-powered smart glass.

Nicolas Tetreault - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.