Design and optimization of graphene quantum dot-based luminescent solar concentrator using Monte-Carlo simulation
Milad Rastkar Mirzaei, Ali Rostami, Samiye Matloub, Masoumeh Nazari
Abstract
The demand for green energy is growing these days as a result of the world energy crisis, as well as global warming. Solar cells are in great interest due to the fact that solar energy can be easily converted to electricity, if the photovoltaic cell's cost can be lowered. One of the methods to make low-cost energy is using Luminescent solar concentrators. They have the advantage of directly integrating solar cells to dense urban areas as well as skyscrapers. Different materials and waveguide sizes have been investigated for use in luminescent solar concentrators. However, the optimized waveguide geometry and quantum dots concentrators have not been thoroughly studied. In this paper, we have simulated graphene quantum dots using density function theory. A Monte-Carlo ray-tracing simulation was developed to model our device. We have optimized the luminescent solar concentrator geometry by Monte-Carlo simulation. The optimization results show a 99% enhancement in the energy flux gain of the final device. Besides, we have calculated and analyzed the fate of all photons.