This interdisciplinary project seeks to develop solar windows consisting of semitransparent Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSC) with optimized efficiency for the utilization of electrical, chemical and thermal solar energy. The LSC design includes the use of organic or quantum dot dyes that absorb the solar spectrum with high efficiency and minimal self-absorption while passing wavelengths needed for plant growth. Optimization of the LSC cells and incorporation into a small greenhouse structure will be performed in order to monitor reliability and power generation during one year of exposure in outdoor testing conditions. The robustness of the LSC greenhouse to a variety of weather conditions, shading, and 20-year lifetimes under accelerated conditions will be evaluated. The impact of the window-integrated LSC technology on plant growth and water retention will be studied. Separately, studies on algae response to wavelength specific lighting will be used to design an LSC optimized for algal growth, and that LSC will be tested for its energy harvesting capability and algae growth enhancement on site where algae is being grown for bio-fuel production.
In addition to the research, this project will establish ?EarthReach,? a program of public outreach and engagement of undergraduate and graduate students in teaching junior high and high school students about environmental sustainability.
Building-integrated photovoltaics offer a large market opportunity for solar power installations since the cost of the building can be used to offset the cost of the integrated solar panels. The goal of this project is to accelerate deployment of photovoltaics through the research and development of solar windows that can produce energy at a competitive cost, are robust to outdoor weather and shading conditions, and meet 20-year accelerated lifetimes. This technology can then be tailored to meet demands of agriculture, building integration, and larger scale power plants. This would reduce carbon emissions by achieving cost parity of renewable generated power with fossil fuel-based power and provide a technology platform for CO2 capture that benefits the agriculture community.
This project is supported under the NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Fellows (SEES Fellows) program, with the goal of helping to enable discoveries needed to inform actions that lead to environmental, energy and societal sustainability while creating the necessary workforce to address these challenges. With SEES Fellows support, this project will enable a promising early career researcher to establish themselves in an independent research career related to sustainability.
