COLOURS
Title: Solar luminescent concentrators for smart urban furniture.
ICCOM Principal Investigator: Alessandro Mordini.
Project Type: National – Tuscany Region.
Duration: 31/05/2021-31/12/2022.
Abstract: Among innovative photovoltaic technologies, luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are attracting increasing interest in the last years. An LSC device consists of a plastic panel in which fluorophores are dispersed: these compounds are able to absorb part of the solar radiation and re-emitting it at a different wavelength. Due to the different refractive index of the polymer with respect to air, the light radiation remains for the most part trapped inside the panel and concentrates at the edges. By applying a common silicon photovoltaic cell at the edge of the panel it is then possible to exploit the radiation concentrated there and produce electric current. With COLOURS, an excellent consortium of companies and research organizations aims to develop new smart LSC panels with features suitable for use in urban areas. COLOURS aims are: (i) to design, develop and prepare a series of new fluorescent dyes for the preparation of luminescent solar concentrators, (ii) to develop the best procedures for their dispersion into the polymeric material through a careful choice of solvent and polymerization method, (iii) to develop an automated procedure for the quality control of the product during the production process through spectrophotometric methods, (iv) to study the appropriate size of the panels to obtain the best performance depending on the field of use and, consequently, to assemble the LSC modules, (v) to use the technology for the preparation of prototypes for urban furniture or in buildings to power equipment and sensors (eg for air quality monitoring / small wireless networks). The products of the project will be inserted in urban contexts to produce energy and to power smart control devices through the internet of things.
Project Coordinator: Simonetta Garzelli (Scorpio Srl)
Partnership: Scorpio Srl (Livorno), ICCOM-CNR, UNIPI, I&S Srl (Firenze), Cicciresearch Srl (Grosseto).
ICCOM participants: Alessandro Mordini, Gianna Reginato, Massimo Calamante, Lorenzo Zani, Alessio Dessì.
Financed by: Tuscany Region within Program POR FESR 2014-2020.
Project total budget: 240.646,68 €
ICCOM total budget: 41.061,46 €