Michigan Patent of the Month – April 2022
Solar energy is the single largest source of renewable energy. The sun provides enough energy to power the planet for an entire year in less than one hour. The limiting factor is effectively harnessing this energy and moreso the way to deploy solar technologies everywhere. Solar panels are the most common harnessing technology, but photovoltaic (PV) technology can be prohibitively expensive. GlowShop, LLC is set on revolutionizing the industry, bringing out creative technologies to harness this renewable energy.
With this mission in mind, GlowShop has recently developed an energy harnessing system using luminescent paint. Their system uses a waveguide coupled with a PV cell which traps light energy. The waveguide has a redirecting material made of solidified colored luminescent paint which effectively redirects light energy to the PV cell. The user can paint the waveguide however they wish using GlowShops’ luminescent paints.
Their luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) uses thin solar cell strips mounted around the waveguide to generate power. The waveguide is exposed to a light source. The luminescent paint absorbs fractions of the solar flux and re-emit the energy as luminescence with lower energy. This results in a light trapping efficiency of 50-70%. Currently, GlowShop uses these LSCs to educate future scientists, bringing creativity to STEM education. But their LSC technology has implications for using luminescent paint to make energy harnessing more accessible worldwide.
Are you developing new technology for an existing application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.
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