Outdoor characterization of Luminescent Solar Concentrators and their possible architectural integration on a historically relevant site in Milan (Italy)

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) typically consist of transparent plastic slabs, doped with luminescent species: incident light is partially absorbed and internally re-radiated by luminescence towards the edges of the slab, where photovoltaic cells are placed to convert light into electricity. Interest in LSCs has recently been raised thanks to improvements in module efficiency. A LSC is able to collect both direct and diffuse light and it is therefore very promising as a potentially cheap residential concentrating system. Outdoor characterization of various LSC prototypes has been performed at the outdoor solar field of the European Solar Test Installation in Ispra (VA), Italy. Results enable a first estimate of the annual energy yield of a hypothetical building integration of LSCs, given the annual average irradiance and the geometry of the installation. In this work, we also present a possible architectural integration concept in the historic environment of the Roman Empire archaeological site of Milan.