PRIN 2022 “LUCE”
Title: LUminescent solar Concentrators based on recycled methylmethacrylate and Eco-compatible materials.
ICCOM Principal Investigator: Alessandro Mordini.
Project Type: National.
Duration: 16/10/2023 – 15/10/2025.
Abstract: A promising path to cost-effective photovoltaic (PV) systems is sunlight concentration. Over classical non-imaging geometrical concentrators, luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) possess several advantages: low cost and weight, elevated theoretical concentration factors and aptitude to efficiently working with diffuse light without tracking or cooling equipment. Although considerable progress has been made, current LSC-PV systems attain low power conversion efficiencies (PCE), with profitless maximum values around 7%. To overcome this issue and to promote the LSC diffusion in the building-integrated PV market, a clear-cut breakthrough is needed. The revolutionary goal of LUCE is the realization LSC slabs from recycled MMA (r-MMA) obtained by thermal depolymerization processes, i.e. by using materials from circular economy, thus reducing fossil resources utilization and CO2 emissions. Moreover, PMMA recycling would be encouraged in the view of its larger utilization in the field of sustainable energy production. This challenging objective will be realized by combining high quantum yield push-pull organic fluorophores synthesized with “green” methodologies that will make use of catalytic processes and eco-benign solvents. The final objective is to demonstrate that LSC with PCE > 8% can be obtained from r-MMA combined with robust and compatible high performance fluorophores.
Coordinator: Prof. Andrea Pucci (University of Pisa).
Partnership: CNR-ICCOM, University of Pisa, University “Federico II” of Naples.
ICCOM participants: Alessandro Mordini, Massimo Calamante, Daniele Franchi.
Financed by: Projects MUR PRIN 2022, project code no. 2022ZZC2HZ.
Project overall budget: 202.590,00 €.
ICCOM budget: 76.776,91 €.
