Resonance energy transfer in luminescent solar concentrators

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) harvest sunlight by absorption in a luminescent centre and re-emission in a red-shifted and narrow-band spectrum within a waveguide. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) can allow for more efficient LSCs. Our research goal is to produce an LSC technology based on the biological properties of phycobilisomes which are antennae proteins from algae that naturally exhibit FRET, absorbing blue-green light and emitting red. In this paper, we present our initial results of incorporating phycobilisomes into waveguides and coupling these waveguides to solar cells to form a proof of concept for a phycobilisome-based LSC (phyco-LSC). We present initial experimental data and modeling results that establish the feasibility of the concept and make projections of ultimate system performance. Our modeling suggests that with optimized phycobilisomes, photon concentration ratios close to ten could be achieved for practically sized LSCs. This is an international collaboration bringing together the PV expertise of NRL and Imperial College London with the bioscience expertise of Columbia Biosciences and the waveguide fabrication expertise of the Fraunhofer IAP.