The relentless pursuit of more sustainable cities and communities has steered scientific research toward solutions that integrate energy-harvesting/generating devices into urban infrastructures. Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) appeared in the 70s of the XX century as a solution to increase photovoltaic cells output; over the last decades, the paradigm has changed and LSCs are now seen as a viable way to transform building windows into solar-harvesting devices able to produce electricity, thereby contributing to the realization of zero-energy buildings.

An LSC comprises a planar waveguide doped or coated with emissive materials. These materials absorb sunlight and re-emit it at specific wavelengths matching the operational spectral region of the photovoltaic cells. The emitted light is then guided through total internal reflection towards photovoltaic cells connected to the edges of the waveguides, where it is converted into electricity.

Our research group has been engaged on the fabrication of LSCs over the last decade, reaching a stage where determining the next steps to make LSCs a reality and a commercially viable solution became crucial. In this context, collating reported data on LSCs emerged as a strategic initial move to gain an inclusive insight of what was already done, and which performance values were achieved.

The recently published article, A comprehensive dataset of photonic features on spectral converters for energy harvesting, intends to be a pivotal resource for researchers and engineers working on the field of optical materials for down-shifting conversion for building-integrated photovoltaics. This comprehensive dataset is suitable for data driven analysis and models that may predict the efficiency of new LSCs without extensive experimental measurements. It can be continuously expanded and augmented in the future, offering the opportunity for data mining and may serve as training data for machine learning models.

Relevance of the dataset

This dataset aims to transcend its current scope and serve as a foundational resource for the extensive compilation of pertinent features related to optically active materials utilized in the fabrication of LSCs. This compilation is intended to be a valuable asset for researchers immersed in this field.

One the main findings is related to the fact that, although the number of publications is increasing over the last 15 years (total publications ~1400), there is a significant amount (~80%) of published works on luminescent solar concentrators which lack performance quantification related either to optical or electrical power conversion efficiency (Figure 1). This limitation has resulted in a somewhat restricted dataset, encompassing results from approximately 280 published works. Additionally, an observation was made regarding the lack of uniformity in performance quantification methods within the LSC field, posing challenges for a direct comparison of fabricated devices.

Figure 1. Number of indexed publications from Web of Science^TM principal collection in the period 1976–2023 on the luminescent solar concentrator subject.

Methodology

The dataset is composed of data gathered from the community of researchers or research groups engaged in the development of LSCs from a literature review performed over the past 47 years on the field. The sample data consisted on the information from ~1300 published articles, letters, reviews, and in the period from 1976 to 2023. The sample dataset encompasses data from approximately 1300 published articles, letters, and reviews from the period 1976 to 2023. It includes a detailed description of the materials used in LSC fabrication, covering the type and concentration of optically active centers, host materials, processing methods, and numerical optical features. The dataset also incorporates performance features such as optical conversion efficiency and power conversion efficiency, intrinsically linked to the dimensions of the LSC device and thus also this information is provided in the dataset. It was also included information that facilitates the identification and tracking of the reported LSC, such as designation, publication year and DOI of the source published work.

About the Authors

Professor R. A. S. Ferreira and Professor P.S. André contributed to research plan determination and have been actively engaged in the development of optical and photonic devices. Dr. L. Fu and Dr. S.F.H. Correia are highly specialized in the development and characterization of LSC devices and optically active materials. Professor M. Antunes and Professor P. Georgieva contributed to data analysis and validation as specialist in machine learning algorithms.