Publications by Volker Günter Zagolla

Self-Tracking Solar Concentrator Device

Jacques-Edouard Moser, Christophe Moser, Volker Günter Zagolla

A device for self-tracking a light source, including a focusing optical device configured to focus incoming light to a focal spot, an adaptive device configured to reflect the light of the focal spot and arranged to provide for a phase change at an area of ...

2016

Demonstration of a 5x5 cm(2) self-tracking solar concentrator

Eric Tremblay, Volker Günter Zagolla

Solar concentration is using optics in order to minimize the amount of expensive photovoltaic cell material needed. For concentration factors higher than approximately 4, tracking the sun's position is needed to keep the focal spot on the solar cell. Based ...

Spie-Int Soc Optical Engineering2015

Self-tracking Solar Concentration

Volker Günter Zagolla

Solar concentration is intended to decrease the cost of expensive solar cell material by replacing the solar cell with a focusing optical system as the initial receiving aperture. This reduces the amount of solar cell material needed but adds the need of t ...

EPFL2015

Self-tracking phase change concentrator device demonstrator

Eric Tremblay, Volker Günter Zagolla

Concentration photovoltaic systems uses free-space optics to concentrate sunlight onto photovoltaic cells, using mechanical trackers to accurately track the sun's position and keep the focal spot on the PV cell. We recently proposed and demonstrated a proo ...

Spie-Int Soc Optical Engineering2014

Proof of principle demonstration of a self-tracking concentrator

Christophe Moser, Eric Tremblay, Volker Günter Zagolla

We present to the best of our knowledge the first successful demonstration of a planar, self-tracking solar concentrator system capable of a 2-dimensional angular acceptance of over 40 degrees. The light responsive mechanism allows for efficient waveguide ...

Optical Society of America2014

Demonstration and future potential of a self-tracking phase change actuator

Eric Tremblay, Volker Günter Zagolla

State-of-the-art concentrators use free-space optics to concentrate sunlight onto photovoltaic cells. To achieve high concentration factors it is necessary to track the sun's position. In current systems, mechanical actuators keep the focal spot in the sol ...

Spie-Int Soc Optical Engineering2014

Self-tracking solar concentrator with an acceptance angle of 32 degrees

Christophe Moser, Eric Tremblay, Volker Günter Zagolla

Solar concentration has the potential to decrease the cost associated with solar cells by replacing the receiving surface aperture with cheaper optics that concentrate light onto a smaller cell aperture. However a mechanical tracker has to be added to the ...

Optical Society of America2014

Efficiency of a micro-bubble reflector based, self-adaptive waveguide solar concentrator

Eric Tremblay, Volker Günter Zagolla

State of the art solar concentrators use free-space, non-imaging optics to concentrate sunlight. Mechanical actuators keep the focal spot on a small solar cell by tracking the sun's position. Planar concentrators emerged recently that employ a waveguide sl ...

Spie-Int Soc Optical Engineering2013

Self-tracking planar concentrator using a solar actuated phase-change mechanism

Christophe Moser, Volker Günter Zagolla, Damien Claude-Marie Loterie

In this paper we discuss optical considerations and present design simulation results for a self-tracking (passive) solar concentrator. The self-tracking mechanism uses a reversible in-plane paraffin thermal actuator to couple short-wavelength light into a ...

Spie-Int Soc Optical Engineering2013

Light induced fluidic waveguide coupling

Christophe Moser, Eric Tremblay, Volker Günter Zagolla

We report on the development of an opto-fluidic waveguide coupling mechanism for planar solar concentration. This mechanism is self-adaptive and light-responsive to efficiently maintain waveguide coupling and concentration independent of incoming light's d ...

Optical Soc Amer2012