Performance analysis of a concentrated solar energy for lighting-power generation combined system based on spectral beam splitting

The novel lighting-power generation combined system (LIPGECOS) based on the approach of spectral beam splitting of the concentrated solar radiation was introduced and the components of the system consisting of paraboloidal dish, dual axes tracking system, cold mirror, fiber optic bundle and Stirling engine were explained. At the first time, a cold mirror was utilized to separate the full solar spectra into the different wavelengths experimentally. The performance analysis of LIPGECOS established at Usak University was carried out and the first experimental results were evaluated in the present study. Temperatures, rotating speed of the Stirling engine, indoor irradiance and illuminance obtained by the experiments were analyzed under different global and direct solar irradiance conditions. Thermal images of the LIPGECOS were presented to examine the thermal control of the system. The energy and exergy efficiencies of the system were determined as 0.15 and 0.09, respectively. The average luminous efficacy of LIPGECOS was calculated as 347 Lm/W. A superior luminous efficacy was obtained by LIPGECOS owing to spectral beam splitting. The average lighting efficiency was calculated as 14% ± 0.03. It is hoped that the spectral beam splitting by the cold mirror could open new research areas for concentrated solar energy technologies.