WO2023057895A1 - Apparatus for generating electric current from sunlight - Google Patents

Apparatus for generating electric current from sunlight Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2023057895A1
WO2023057895A1 PCT/IB2022/059459 IB2022059459W WO2023057895A1 WO 2023057895 A1 WO2023057895 A1 WO 2023057895A1 IB 2022059459 W IB2022059459 W IB 2022059459W WO 2023057895 A1 WO2023057895 A1 WO 2023057895A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
light
solar cell
housing
luminescent material
luminescent
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Application number
PCT/IB2022/059459
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Ali Asiri
Ibrahim Alsoma
Original Assignee
Ali Asiri
Ibrahim Alsoma
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ali Asiri, Ibrahim Alsoma filed Critical Ali Asiri
Publication of WO2023057895A1 publication Critical patent/WO2023057895A1/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
    • H01L31/054—Optical elements directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means
    • H01L31/055—Optical elements directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means where light is absorbed and re-emitted at a different wavelength by the optical element directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. by using luminescent material, fluorescent concentrators or up-conversion arrangements
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
    • H01L31/054—Optical elements directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means
    • H01L31/0547—Optical elements directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means comprising light concentrating means of the reflecting type, e.g. parabolic mirrors, concentrators using total internal reflection
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
    • Y02E10/52—PV systems with concentrators

Definitions

  • the present invention refers to an apparatus for generating electric current from sunlight comprising at least one solar cell as well as a corresponding procedure using said apparatus for generating electric current from sunlight.
  • Solar cells are well known in the art. They are used to produce electric energy from light, especially sunlight. This process is from an ecological point of view very advantageous, whereby producing so-called green energy or green current. Such green current is needed to transform the present oil, coal and gas driven energy production to a sustainable, green energy production in the future in order to limit the global warming due to the climate change.
  • solar cells suffer from the disadvantage that they are dependent on the presence of light, preferably sunlight. Without sunlight, they are not in a position to convert light energy into electric current. In order to overcome this disadvantage, it is well known to store electric energy produced by solar cells e. g. in accumulators or in the form of hydrogen.
  • an object of the present invention to provide for an apparatus comprising at least one solar cell that overcomes the aforesaid disadvantages and, especially, inter alia is easily manageable by individuals and industry.
  • an apparatus for generating electric current from sunlight comprising at least one light-tight housing, at least one reflective material, at least one luminescent material, at least one solar cell and at least one light guide, wherein the at least one reflective material, the at least one luminescent material and the at least one solar cell are arranged in the at least one light-tight housing and wherein the at least one light guide feeds sunlight into the light-tight housing.
  • the at least one light-tight housing may be a housing made of any kind of material and is preferably made of plastic, metal and/or glass, and more preferably made of glass and/or plastic.
  • the purpose for using at least one light-tight housing is that only sunlight should be used for producing electric current by the apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
  • the at least one light-tight housing may be furnished with a light-impermeable varnish or paint, or may be covered by a light-impermeable foil or similar material.
  • the at least one light guide preferably comprises randomly directed optical fibres. Sunlight is directed from one end of the light guide, e. g.
  • the apparatus may be disconnected from the at least one light guide, so that the apparatus with the housing is easily transportable and may be taken away from individuals whereever they want to use the light energy stored especially at night through the turnover of light remitted from luminescent material and transformed by the at least one solar cell into (green) electric current.
  • the at least one housing may have any kind of outer shape. Especially, it may be shaped as a rectangular box or a hexagonal-shaped box.
  • the at least one housing and, thus, the apparatus in accordance with the invention, omitting the at least one light guide may have a length between approximately 10 cm to approximately 4 m, preferably in a range between approximately 15 cm to approximately 60 cm.
  • the at least one light-tight housing may have a width in a range between approximately 5 cm to approximately 2 m, and preferably a width in a range between approximately 10 cm to approximately 30 cm.
  • the at least one reflective material is arranged.
  • the at least one reflective material is preferably arranged on inner walls of the at least one housing, preferably in direct contact with the inner walls of the at least one housing. Most preferably, all inner walls of the at least one housing are covered with the at least one reflective material besides the entry ports used for the at least one light guide as well as the electrical connections from the at least one solar cell to the outside of the at least one lighttight housing.
  • the at least one reflective material is selected from a group comprising reflective foils, reflective coatings and/or reflective paints.
  • inner walls of the at least one light-tight housing may be sputtered with a reflective material, or the reflective material may be deposited on the inner walls via physical or chemical vapor deposition methods.
  • the at least one reflective material is providing a kind of a mirror on the inner walls of the at least one housing. Light is reflected from the inner walls by the at least one reflective material, so that said light may either be converted into electric energy by the at least one solar cell arranged within the at least one housing, or stored in the luminescent material for remitting from the luminescent material at a later time.
  • the at least one luminescent material at least partially covers the at least one reflective material, more preferably covers the whole reflective material that is arranged on the inner walls of the at least one housing. In a most preferred embodiment, the luminescent material is in direct contact with the at least one reflective material on the inner walls of the at least one housing.
  • the covering preferably the direct covering of the at least one reflective material by the at least one luminescent material has the advantage that the light entering through the at least one light guide into the at least one light-tight housing is directed through the at least one luminescent material until the at least one luminescent material reaches a saturation.
  • the combination of the at least one reflective material with the at least one luminescent mater- ial on the inner walls of the a least one light-tight housing thus, provides for a highly efficient energy storage of light into the at least one luminescent material.
  • the at least one luminescent material may be arranged on the at least one reflective material as a single layer or a multilayer.
  • the at least one luminescent material is arranged on the at least one reflective material as a kind of a coating.
  • the single layer or multilayer preferable an embodiment with two or three layers of luminescent material, may comprise one or more luminescent materials.
  • each layer may have a different luminescent material or at least a different concentration of the luminescent material, so that energy storage of the light directed into the at least one light-tight housing may occur in a most efficient way.
  • the at least one luminescent material comprises an at least one luminescent dye selected from a group comprising organic dyes and/or inorganic dyes.
  • the at least one luminescent material comprises at least one luminescent inorganic dye.
  • the at least one luminescent dye is an inorganic dye
  • the same preferably has an activated doping ion selected from a group comprising Ln 3+ , Eu 3+ , Eu 2+ , Ce 3+ , Tb 3+ , Sm 3+ , Pr 3+ , Dy 3+ , Er 3+ , Tm 3+ , Nd 3+ , V 3+ , Cu 2+ , Mn 2+ , Ti 4+ , Sn 2+ , Co 2+ , Bi 3+ , and/or Pb 2+ .
  • the at least one luminescent dye is selected from a group comprising strontium aluminates, preferably strontium aluminates doped with either europium (Eu 3+ ) or dysprosium (Dy 3+ ) or both europium and dysprosium.
  • the at least one fluorescent material is selected from the group comprising noctilucent pigments on the basis of earth alkali aluminates, whereas said earth alkali aluminates are preferably doped with either europium or dysprosium or both.
  • the at least one luminescent material comprises at least one binder.
  • the at least one luminescent dye is immobilized in a matrix comprising the at least one binder.
  • the at least one binder is selected from a group comprising polymers, especially polymers able to form a matrix for the at least one luminescent material, the at least one luminescent material being preferably a noctilu- cent pigment, most preferably an earth alkali aluminate being doped with a doping ion.
  • the at least one luminescent material comprises at least one binder selected from a group comprising at least one epoxy resin.
  • Epoxy resins are polyethers with usually two end grouped epoxy groups. They are reactive resins and provide for an excellent matrix for accommodating luminescent materials in the form of noctilucent pigments, especially in the form of earth alkali segments and most preferably in the form of strontium aluminates, being doped with at least one doping ion, preferably europium or dysprosium or both.
  • Most preferred in the sense of the present invention are bisphenol-based epoxy resins with a basis of bisphenol A, but also novolac-epoxy resins or elesatic epoxy resins may be used as a binder in the sense of the present invention.
  • Novolac-epoxy resins are obtainable by the reaction of phenols with formaldehyde.
  • the at least one epoxy resin has a density in a range between approximately 900 kg/m 3 and approximately 1.200 kg/m 3 .
  • the at least one luminescent material consists of one ore more noctilucent pigments and one epoxy resin, and more preferably the luminescent material consists of one noctilucent pigment and one epoxy resin, and further preferred the luminescent material consists of a strontium aluminate doped either with europium or dysprosium or both and one epoxy resin. No further additives are present. But also other binder materials are use- able besides epoxy resins in the sense of the present invention. Useable binder materials should preferably be transparent in a wavelength range between approximately 380 nm to approximately 800 nm, more preferred in a range between approximately 410 nm to approximately 750 nm.
  • the amount of the at least one luminescent dye in the at least one luminescent material is in a range between approximately 5 wt.-% to approximately 75 wt.-%, more preferably in a range between approximately 20 wt.-% to approximately 70 wt.-%, and most preferred in a range between approximately 50 wt.-% to approximately 68 wt.-%, in each case referred to the total amount of the at least one luminescent material.
  • the at least one solar cell is a silicion dioxide solar cell.
  • the at least one light-tight device comprises at least one fastening means to fix the at least one solar cell within the at least one housing.
  • the solar cell is preferably in a form of a plate.
  • light is directed into the housing by at least two light guides in the form of optical fibers, whereby one light guide is directed to the upper side of the solar cell and one light guide is directed to the downside of the solar cell, so that the light entering the housing through the light guides may be converted into green current most efficiently.
  • the one solar cell used in such an embodiment shall have light converting material in the form of a light conversion layer arranged on the upper side as well as on the downside of the plate-like formed solar cell.
  • the solar cell may have any other form and may especially be also embodied in form of a rod or in a similar shape.
  • solar cells with light conversion layers only on one side may be used.
  • the light conversion layers of solar cells in an embodiment where more than one solar cell is arranged in a light-tight housing may e. g. facing each other or may be arranged for back-to-back with each other.
  • the at least one solar cell may be arranged for in the light-tight housing in a distance to the inner walls, the distance being defined by the energy converting layer of the solar cell and the at least one luminescent material arranged for on the at least one reflective material, the latter being arranged on the inner walls of the light-tight housing.
  • the distance should be dimensioned in such a way that all the light entering the light-tight housing through the at least one light guide may enter the housing so that all energy of the light may either be stored in the luminescent material or converted directly or after reflection into electric energy.
  • the distance as defined before is in a range between approximately 1 mm to approximately 10 cm, and more preferred in a range between approximately 2 mm and approximately 10 mm.
  • the solar cell may be arranged within the at least one housing in a distance as described before to the inner walls of the housing, whereby also a fine tuning of the distance is obtainable in order to increase the energy output of the inventive apparatus.
  • the present invention also refers to a procedure for generating electric energy from sunlight by using the inventive apparatus as described above, whereby sunlight is fed by at least one light guide into the at least one light-tight housing, whereby light is directed to both the at least one solar cell and the at least one luminescent material, whereby electric energy is produced by the at least one solar cell and light is stored in the at least one luminescent material, so that at sunset and/or at night electric energy is produceable by the at least one solar cell through the stored light remitted by the at least one luminescent material.
  • inventive procedure it is possible to provide for an apparatus that produces electric energy also at sunset and/or at night at least for a certain time to enable the individual to use the energy for various purposes such as for lighting or charging electric devices.
  • Fig. 1 show a schematic view of an apparatus with a rectangular housing in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig.: 2 a schematic sectional view along a plane ll-ll of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 3 a second embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with the present invention having a hexagonal-formed housing.
  • Fig. 1 shows an apparatus 10 for generating electric current from sunlight with only one light-tight housing 11 and two light guides 15 directing sunlight from outside, e. g. from the top of a building or any other place as an input through the optical fibers inside the light guides 15, to the inside of the light-tight housing 11.
  • the light guides 15 may be connectable or disconnectable embodied with the light-tight housing 11.
  • the housing 11 has a length of approximately 30 cm and a width of approximately 5 cm.
  • Fig. 2 shows a sectional view along a plane ll-ll of Fig. 1 disclosing the schematic arrangement of the various materials and parts within the housing 11 of apparatus 10.
  • a plate-like formed solar cell 14 is arranged in the middle of the housing 11, through non-shown fixing means.
  • Said plate-like formed solar cell 14 has light converting layers at least on an upper side surface and a downside surface of the same, so that sunlight directed through both light guides 15 to the upper side on one hand and the downside on the other hand of solar cell 14 is efficiently converted into electric energy.
  • Said electric energy is guided outside apparatus 10 via electric connections 16 and 17.
  • the plate-like solar cell 14 may also have energy conversion layers on at least two opposite length surfaces, if the solar cell 14 has a width that is smaller than the inner width of the housing 11, so that a distance between the energy converting surface on the length surface of solar cell 14 and a luminescent material 13 arranged for near the inner walls of the housing 11 is present, at least a distance in a range between approximately 2 mm to approximately 5 mm. As may be taken from Fig. 2, also a distance between the energy conversion layers on the upper side and the downside of solar cell 14 and the fluorescent material formed as a layer on the inner walls of housing 11 is present, said distance being in this certain embodiment in a range between approximately 2 mm to approximately 10 mm.
  • a reflective material 12 is coated on the inner walls at the top and the bottom inner wall of the housing 11 as shown in the sectional view of Fig. 2.
  • the reflective material 12 is also directly arranged on the inner walls of housing 11 forming the front wall and the back wall of housing 11. Only at front ends of housing 11, no reflective material 12 is arranged on the inner wall of housing 11. The same also holds true with respect to a layer of luminescent material 13 directly arranged on the layer of reflective material 12.
  • the layer with the luminescent material 13 may be made of a bisphenol A-epoxy resin with 60 wt.-% strontium aluminates doped with europium or dysprosium or both of them, referred to the total amount of the luminescent material, and is coated on the inner wall of housing 11, more correctly on the reflective material layer 12 by methods known in the art, e. g. by pouring, suttering, deposition or any other method.
  • Fig. 3 shows a second embodiment of an apparatus 10 in accordance with the present invention, whereby the housing 11 is not formed as a rectangular box, but instead as a hexagonal box. Further, it differs from the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and 2 in that the reflective material 12 is present also on the front ends of the housing 11. The same holds true with respect to the luminescent material 13.
  • the reflective material 12 and the luminescent material 13, embodied as a single layer each on the inner walls of housing 11, are arranged on all inner walls of housing 11.
  • Solar cell 14 is embodied in a rod-like form and arranged by fixation means not shown in the middle of the housing 11 so that it is surrounded by a space forming a distance between the energy conversion layer of the rod-like formed solar cell 14 and the surface of the layer of luminescent material 13.
  • two, three or more light guides 15 may be arranged on housing 11 in order to direct sunlight from the outside of housing 11 inside housing 11.
  • Light guide 15 is only shown schematically in Fig. 3 and may be connected or disconnected with housing 11 via an adapter means not shown.
  • Sunlight directed to the inside of housings 11 of the first and second embodiment as shown in Fig. 1 to 3 through light guides 15 is either immediately directed into electric energy by solar cell 14 or indirectly after reflection from the reflective material 12.
  • light is also stored in the luminescent material in luminescent material layer 13 up to saturation is reached, so that at sunset and/or at night, when no further sunlight can be directed inside housing 11 via light guide 15, that may be disconnected especially at sunset and/or at night to make the apparatus 10 transportable, light stored in the luminescent layer 13 may be remitted and converted via the energy conversion layer of solar cell 14 into electric energy.

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus (10) for generating electric current from sunlight comprising at least one light-tight housing (11), at least one reflective material (12), at least one luminescent material (13), at least one solar cell (14), and at least one light guide (15); wherein the at least one reflective material (12), the at least one luminescent material (13), and the at least one solar cell (14) are arranged in the at least one light-tight housing (11); and wherein the at least one light guide (15) feeds the sunlight into the light-tight housing (11).

Description

Apparatus for generating electric current from sunlight
The present invention refers to an apparatus for generating electric current from sunlight comprising at least one solar cell as well as a corresponding procedure using said apparatus for generating electric current from sunlight.
Solar cells are well known in the art. They are used to produce electric energy from light, especially sunlight. This process is from an ecological point of view very advantageous, whereby producing so-called green energy or green current. Such green current is needed to transform the present oil, coal and gas driven energy production to a sustainable, green energy production in the future in order to limit the global warming due to the climate change. However, solar cells suffer from the disadvantage that they are dependent on the presence of light, preferably sunlight. Without sunlight, they are not in a position to convert light energy into electric current. In order to overcome this disadvantage, it is well known to store electric energy produced by solar cells e. g. in accumulators or in the form of hydrogen. For doing this, different apparatus must be used and electric energy must be transferred away from the solar cell, whereby at least a part of the energy obtainable is lost. Thus, there is still a need for an apparatus comprising at least one solar cell that may also be used away from home e. g. for loading accumulators of mobile phones or any other kind of energy consumption devices used by industry or individuals around the world.
It is, thus, an object of the present invention to provide for an apparatus comprising at least one solar cell that overcomes the aforesaid disadvantages and, especially, inter alia is easily manageable by individuals and industry.
Said object is solved by an apparatus for generating electric current from sunlight comprising at least one light-tight housing, at least one reflective material, at least one luminescent material, at least one solar cell and at least one light guide, wherein the at least one reflective material, the at least one luminescent material and the at least one solar cell are arranged in the at least one light-tight housing and wherein the at least one light guide feeds sunlight into the light-tight housing. The at least one light-tight housing may be a housing made of any kind of material and is preferably made of plastic, metal and/or glass, and more preferably made of glass and/or plastic. The purpose for using at least one light-tight housing is that only sunlight should be used for producing electric current by the apparatus in accordance with the present invention. Thus, light emitted from diffuse sources such as luminaires is hindered to enter the at least one light-tight housing. Preferably, if the material of the at least one light-tight housing as such is not impermeable for light, the at least one light-tight housing may be furnished with a light-impermeable varnish or paint, or may be covered by a light-impermeable foil or similar material. Several light-tight housings may be arranged in line or in parallel in the apparatus in accordance with the present invention. The at least one light guide preferably comprises randomly directed optical fibres. Sunlight is directed from one end of the light guide, e. g. arranged on the top of a building, to the at least one light-tight housing and enters the same through the optical fibres of the at least one light guide. The end of the at least one light guide directing sunlight into the at least one light-tight housing is preferably connectable to the at least one light-tight housing. Thus, it is possible that at night, especially after having obtained a saturation of the luminescent material, the apparatus may be disconnected from the at least one light guide, so that the apparatus with the housing is easily transportable and may be taken away from individuals whereever they want to use the light energy stored especially at night through the turnover of light remitted from luminescent material and transformed by the at least one solar cell into (green) electric current.
The at least one housing may have any kind of outer shape. Especially, it may be shaped as a rectangular box or a hexagonal-shaped box. Preferably, the at least one housing and, thus, the apparatus in accordance with the invention, omitting the at least one light guide, may have a length between approximately 10 cm to approximately 4 m, preferably in a range between approximately 15 cm to approximately 60 cm. The at least one light-tight housing may have a width in a range between approximately 5 cm to approximately 2 m, and preferably a width in a range between approximately 10 cm to approximately 30 cm.
If, in the context of the invention, the term "approximately" is used in connection with values or ranges of values, this is to be understood as a range of tolerance which the person skilled in the art considers to be usual in this field, in particular a range of tolerance of ±20 %, preferably ±10 %, further preferably ±5 %, is provided. Insofar as different value ranges, for example preferred and further preferred value ranges, are indicated in the present invention, the lower limits and the upper limits of the different value ranges can be combined with one another.
Within the at least one light-tight housing, the at least one reflective material is arranged. The at least one reflective material is preferably arranged on inner walls of the at least one housing, preferably in direct contact with the inner walls of the at least one housing. Most preferably, all inner walls of the at least one housing are covered with the at least one reflective material besides the entry ports used for the at least one light guide as well as the electrical connections from the at least one solar cell to the outside of the at least one lighttight housing. Preferably, the at least one reflective material is selected from a group comprising reflective foils, reflective coatings and/or reflective paints. Especially, inner walls of the at least one light-tight housing may be sputtered with a reflective material, or the reflective material may be deposited on the inner walls via physical or chemical vapor deposition methods. Preferably, the at least one reflective material is providing a kind of a mirror on the inner walls of the at least one housing. Light is reflected from the inner walls by the at least one reflective material, so that said light may either be converted into electric energy by the at least one solar cell arranged within the at least one housing, or stored in the luminescent material for remitting from the luminescent material at a later time.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one luminescent material at least partially covers the at least one reflective material, more preferably covers the whole reflective material that is arranged on the inner walls of the at least one housing. In a most preferred embodiment, the luminescent material is in direct contact with the at least one reflective material on the inner walls of the at least one housing.
The covering, preferably the direct covering of the at least one reflective material by the at least one luminescent material has the advantage that the light entering through the at least one light guide into the at least one light-tight housing is directed through the at least one luminescent material until the at least one luminescent material reaches a saturation. The combination of the at least one reflective material with the at least one luminescent mater- ial on the inner walls of the a least one light-tight housing, thus, provides for a highly efficient energy storage of light into the at least one luminescent material.
The at least one luminescent material may be arranged on the at least one reflective material as a single layer or a multilayer. The at least one luminescent material is arranged on the at least one reflective material as a kind of a coating. The single layer or multilayer, preferable an embodiment with two or three layers of luminescent material, may comprise one or more luminescent materials. In an embodiment with more than one layer of a luminescent material, each layer may have a different luminescent material or at least a different concentration of the luminescent material, so that energy storage of the light directed into the at least one light-tight housing may occur in a most efficient way.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one luminescent material comprises an at least one luminescent dye selected from a group comprising organic dyes and/or inorganic dyes. Preferably, the at least one luminescent material comprises at least one luminescent inorganic dye. The at least one luminescent inorganic dye is preferably selected from a group comprising ZnS, CaS, SrS, CaO, SrO, BrO, Y2O3, Sr4Ali4O25, SrAI4O7, Sr2AI3O6, MAI2O4 with M = Ca, Sr, Ba, MSiO3 with M = Ca, Sr, Ba, Cd, Mg, M2MgSi2O7 with M = Ca, Sr, Ba. If the at least one luminescent dye is an inorganic dye, the same preferably has an activated doping ion selected from a group comprising Ln3+, Eu3+, Eu2+, Ce3+, Tb3+, Sm3+, Pr3+, Dy3+, Er3+, Tm3+, Nd3+, V3+, Cu2+, Mn2+, Ti4+, Sn2+, Co2+, Bi3+, and/or Pb2+. Most preferably, the at least one luminescent dye is selected from a group comprising strontium aluminates, preferably strontium aluminates doped with either europium (Eu3+) or dysprosium (Dy3+) or both europium and dysprosium. Preferably, the at least one fluorescent material is selected from the group comprising noctilucent pigments on the basis of earth alkali aluminates, whereas said earth alkali aluminates are preferably doped with either europium or dysprosium or both.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one luminescent material comprises at least one binder. Preferably, the at least one luminescent dye is immobilized in a matrix comprising the at least one binder. Preferably, the at least one binder is selected from a group comprising polymers, especially polymers able to form a matrix for the at least one luminescent material, the at least one luminescent material being preferably a noctilu- cent pigment, most preferably an earth alkali aluminate being doped with a doping ion. In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one luminescent material comprises at least one binder selected from a group comprising at least one epoxy resin. Epoxy resins are polyethers with usually two end grouped epoxy groups. They are reactive resins and provide for an excellent matrix for accommodating luminescent materials in the form of noctilucent pigments, especially in the form of earth alkali segments and most preferably in the form of strontium aluminates, being doped with at least one doping ion, preferably europium or dysprosium or both. Most preferred in the sense of the present invention are bisphenol-based epoxy resins with a basis of bisphenol A, but also novolac-epoxy resins or elesatic epoxy resins may be used as a binder in the sense of the present invention. Novolac-epoxy resins are obtainable by the reaction of phenols with formaldehyde. Preferably, the at least one epoxy resin has a density in a range between approximately 900 kg/m3 and approximately 1.200 kg/m3.
Preferably, the at least one luminescent material consists of one ore more noctilucent pigments and one epoxy resin, and more preferably the luminescent material consists of one noctilucent pigment and one epoxy resin, and further preferred the luminescent material consists of a strontium aluminate doped either with europium or dysprosium or both and one epoxy resin. No further additives are present. But also other binder materials are use- able besides epoxy resins in the sense of the present invention. Useable binder materials should preferably be transparent in a wavelength range between approximately 380 nm to approximately 800 nm, more preferred in a range between approximately 410 nm to approximately 750 nm. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the amount of the at least one luminescent dye in the at least one luminescent material is in a range between approximately 5 wt.-% to approximately 75 wt.-%, more preferably in a range between approximately 20 wt.-% to approximately 70 wt.-%, and most preferred in a range between approximately 50 wt.-% to approximately 68 wt.-%, in each case referred to the total amount of the at least one luminescent material.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one solar cell is a silicion dioxide solar cell. Further preferred, the at least one light-tight device comprises at least one fastening means to fix the at least one solar cell within the at least one housing. In the sense of the present invention, it is possible to arrange within the at least one light-tight housing one, two, three, four, five and even more solar cells, preferably solar cells having a microformat. If only one solar cell is arranged within the at least one light-tight housing, said solar cell should have a length approximately so long as the inner maximum length of the at least one housing, and further preferred a width that is approximately the inner width of the at least one housing. In such an arrangement, the solar cell is preferably in a form of a plate. Further preferred, in such an embodiment light is directed into the housing by at least two light guides in the form of optical fibers, whereby one light guide is directed to the upper side of the solar cell and one light guide is directed to the downside of the solar cell, so that the light entering the housing through the light guides may be converted into green current most efficiently. The one solar cell used in such an embodiment shall have light converting material in the form of a light conversion layer arranged on the upper side as well as on the downside of the plate-like formed solar cell. However, the solar cell may have any other form and may especially be also embodied in form of a rod or in a similar shape. Further, if more than one solar cell is used, also solar cells with light conversion layers only on one side may be used. The light conversion layers of solar cells in an embodiment where more than one solar cell is arranged in a light-tight housing may e. g. facing each other or may be arranged for back-to-back with each other.
The at least one solar cell may be arranged for in the light-tight housing in a distance to the inner walls, the distance being defined by the energy converting layer of the solar cell and the at least one luminescent material arranged for on the at least one reflective material, the latter being arranged on the inner walls of the light-tight housing. The distance should be dimensioned in such a way that all the light entering the light-tight housing through the at least one light guide may enter the housing so that all energy of the light may either be stored in the luminescent material or converted directly or after reflection into electric energy. Usually, the distance as defined before is in a range between approximately 1 mm to approximately 10 cm, and more preferred in a range between approximately 2 mm and approximately 10 mm. By way of the at least one fastening means, the solar cell may be arranged within the at least one housing in a distance as described before to the inner walls of the housing, whereby also a fine tuning of the distance is obtainable in order to increase the energy output of the inventive apparatus.
The present invention also refers to a procedure for generating electric energy from sunlight by using the inventive apparatus as described above, whereby sunlight is fed by at least one light guide into the at least one light-tight housing, whereby light is directed to both the at least one solar cell and the at least one luminescent material, whereby electric energy is produced by the at least one solar cell and light is stored in the at least one luminescent material, so that at sunset and/or at night electric energy is produceable by the at least one solar cell through the stored light remitted by the at least one luminescent material. By way of said inventive procedure, it is possible to provide for an apparatus that produces electric energy also at sunset and/or at night at least for a certain time to enable the individual to use the energy for various purposes such as for lighting or charging electric devices.
The invention will be described in more detail by the following figures. In the figures
Fig. 1: show a schematic view of an apparatus with a rectangular housing in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig.: 2 a schematic sectional view along a plane ll-ll of Fig. 1; and
Fig. 3: a second embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with the present invention having a hexagonal-formed housing.
Same parts or parts with the same function have identical reference signs throughout the figures of the present invention. The embodiments depicted in the figures are to be interpreted as non-limiting. Rather, features described herein can be combined among one another and combined into further embodiments with the features disclosed in the description as set forth above.
Fig. 1 shows an apparatus 10 for generating electric current from sunlight with only one light-tight housing 11 and two light guides 15 directing sunlight from outside, e. g. from the top of a building or any other place as an input through the optical fibers inside the light guides 15, to the inside of the light-tight housing 11. The light guides 15 may be connectable or disconnectable embodied with the light-tight housing 11. The housing 11 has a length of approximately 30 cm and a width of approximately 5 cm.
Fig. 2 shows a sectional view along a plane ll-ll of Fig. 1 disclosing the schematic arrangement of the various materials and parts within the housing 11 of apparatus 10. In the middle of the housing 11, through non-shown fixing means, a plate-like formed solar cell 14 is arranged. Said plate-like formed solar cell 14 has light converting layers at least on an upper side surface and a downside surface of the same, so that sunlight directed through both light guides 15 to the upper side on one hand and the downside on the other hand of solar cell 14 is efficiently converted into electric energy. Said electric energy is guided outside apparatus 10 via electric connections 16 and 17. The plate-like solar cell 14 may also have energy conversion layers on at least two opposite length surfaces, if the solar cell 14 has a width that is smaller than the inner width of the housing 11, so that a distance between the energy converting surface on the length surface of solar cell 14 and a luminescent material 13 arranged for near the inner walls of the housing 11 is present, at least a distance in a range between approximately 2 mm to approximately 5 mm. As may be taken from Fig. 2, also a distance between the energy conversion layers on the upper side and the downside of solar cell 14 and the fluorescent material formed as a layer on the inner walls of housing 11 is present, said distance being in this certain embodiment in a range between approximately 2 mm to approximately 10 mm.
In direct connection with the inner walls of housing 11, a reflective material 12 is coated on the inner walls at the top and the bottom inner wall of the housing 11 as shown in the sectional view of Fig. 2. The reflective material 12, however, is also directly arranged on the inner walls of housing 11 forming the front wall and the back wall of housing 11. Only at front ends of housing 11, no reflective material 12 is arranged on the inner wall of housing 11. The same also holds true with respect to a layer of luminescent material 13 directly arranged on the layer of reflective material 12. The layer with the luminescent material 13 may be made of a bisphenol A-epoxy resin with 60 wt.-% strontium aluminates doped with europium or dysprosium or both of them, referred to the total amount of the luminescent material, and is coated on the inner wall of housing 11, more correctly on the reflective material layer 12 by methods known in the art, e. g. by pouring, suttering, deposition or any other method.
Fig. 3 shows a second embodiment of an apparatus 10 in accordance with the present invention, whereby the housing 11 is not formed as a rectangular box, but instead as a hexagonal box. Further, it differs from the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and 2 in that the reflective material 12 is present also on the front ends of the housing 11. The same holds true with respect to the luminescent material 13. Thus, the reflective material 12 and the luminescent material 13, embodied as a single layer each on the inner walls of housing 11, are arranged on all inner walls of housing 11. Solar cell 14 is embodied in a rod-like form and arranged by fixation means not shown in the middle of the housing 11 so that it is surrounded by a space forming a distance between the energy conversion layer of the rod-like formed solar cell 14 and the surface of the layer of luminescent material 13. In this second embodiment, thus, it is only necessary to provide for one single light guide 15 in a form of an optical fiber with randomly arranged optical fibers inside. But, of course, also two, three or more light guides 15 may be arranged on housing 11 in order to direct sunlight from the outside of housing 11 inside housing 11. Light guide 15 is only shown schematically in Fig. 3 and may be connected or disconnected with housing 11 via an adapter means not shown.
Sunlight directed to the inside of housings 11 of the first and second embodiment as shown in Fig. 1 to 3 through light guides 15 is either immediately directed into electric energy by solar cell 14 or indirectly after reflection from the reflective material 12. On the other side, light is also stored in the luminescent material in luminescent material layer 13 up to saturation is reached, so that at sunset and/or at night, when no further sunlight can be directed inside housing 11 via light guide 15, that may be disconnected especially at sunset and/or at night to make the apparatus 10 transportable, light stored in the luminescent layer 13 may be remitted and converted via the energy conversion layer of solar cell 14 into electric energy.

Claims

Claims
1. Apparatus (10) for generating electric current from sunlight comprising: at least one light-tight housing (11), at least one reflective material (12), at least one luminescent material (13), at least one solar cell (14), and at least one light guide (15); wherein the at least one reflective material (12), the at least one luminescent material (13), and the at least one solar cell (14) are arranged in the at least one light-tight housing (11); and wherein the at least one light guide (15) feeds the sunlight into the light-tight housing (11).
2. Apparatus (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that inner walls of the at least one housing (11) are covered with the at least one reflective material (12).
3. Apparatus (10) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one reflective material (12) is selected from a group comprising reflective foils, reflective coatings and/or reflective paints.
4. Apparatus (10) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one luminescent material (13) at least partially covers the at least one reflective material (12).
5. Apparatus (10 according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one luminescent material (13) comprises an at least one luminescent dye selected from a group comprising organic dyes and/or inorganic dyes.
6. Apparatus (10) according to claim 5, characterized in that that the at least one luminescent dye comprises an inorganic dye selected from a group comprising ZnS, CaS, SrS, CaO, SrO, BrO, Y2O3, Sr4Al14O25, SrAI4O7, Sr2AI3O6, MAI2O4 with M = Ca, Sr, Ba, MSiO3 with M = Ca, Sr, Ba, Cd, Mg, M2MgSi2O7 with M = Ca, Sr, Ba.
7. Apparatus (10) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that that the at least one luminescent dye comprises an inorganic dye having a doping ion selected from a group comprising Ln3+ , Eu3+, Eu2+, Ce3+, Tb3+, Sm3+, Pr3+, Dy3+, Er3+, Tm3+, Nd3+, V3+, Cu2+, Mn2+, Ti4+, Sn2+, Co2+, Bi3+, and/or Pb2+. pparatus (10) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one luminescent material (13) comprises at least one binder selected from a group comprising epoxy resin. pparatus (10) to claim 8, characterized in that the at least one luminescent dye is immobilized in a matrix comprising the at least one binder. Apparatus (10) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one solar cell (14) is a silicon dioxide solar cell. Apparatus (10) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one light-tight device (11) comprises at least one fastening means to fix the at least one solar cell (14) within the at least one housing (11). Procedure for generating electric energy from sunlight by using an apparatus as claimed in one or mor of the preceding claims, whereby sunlight is fed by at least one light guide (15) into the at least one light-tight housing (11), whereby light is directed to both the at least one solar cell (14) and the at lest one luminescent material (13), whereby electric energy is produced by the at least one solar cell (14) and light is stored in the at least one luminescent material (13), so that at sunset and/or at night electric energy is produceable by the at least one solar cell (14) through the stored light remitted by the at least one luminescent material (13).
PCT/IB2022/059459 2021-10-05 2022-10-04 Apparatus for generating electric current from sunlight WO2023057895A1 (en)

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US7863517B1 (en) * 2005-08-30 2011-01-04 Xtreme Energetics, Inc. Electric power generator based on photon-phonon interactions in a photonic crystal
US20110259399A1 (en) * 2010-04-27 2011-10-27 Hitachi, Ltd. Electric Power Generation Method Using Solar Cells and Photovoltaic Power Generation System
WO2016055669A1 (en) * 2014-10-08 2016-04-14 Universidad De La Laguna Photovoltaic collector
US20200119684A1 (en) * 2017-09-08 2020-04-16 The Regents Of The University Of Michigan Electromagnetic Energy Converter

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7863517B1 (en) * 2005-08-30 2011-01-04 Xtreme Energetics, Inc. Electric power generator based on photon-phonon interactions in a photonic crystal
US20110259399A1 (en) * 2010-04-27 2011-10-27 Hitachi, Ltd. Electric Power Generation Method Using Solar Cells and Photovoltaic Power Generation System
WO2016055669A1 (en) * 2014-10-08 2016-04-14 Universidad De La Laguna Photovoltaic collector
US20200119684A1 (en) * 2017-09-08 2020-04-16 The Regents Of The University Of Michigan Electromagnetic Energy Converter

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