Leveraging directional emission together with nonimaging optics for next-generation luminescent solar concentrators

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) aim to deliver high concentration ratio for photovoltaic cells without tracking the Sun, however, experimental realizations to date underperform their limiting theoretical potential by more than an order of magnitude. Here, we pursue a new path to improve LSC performance by combining highly directional spontaneous emission with integrated nonimaging optical elements. By minimizing the etendúe of emitted light through use of simple and scalable photonic structure, we employ the nonimaging optical design to transform limited angular extent into high spatial compression. We discuss the conceptual basis and theoretical potential of this approach and show through a combination of experiment and ray-tracing simulation that dramatic increases in LSC concentration ratio can be realized.