The increased awareness of greenhouse gas emissions on long-term climate trends has put the spotlight back on the development of renewable energy technologies to mitigate these processes. Solar based electricity generation has gained widespread recognition as a viable source of renewable energy but has been slowed by a number of factors including cost and available application areas. Luminescent solar concentrators (LSC) are being investigated as a low-cost route to expand solar energy harvesting into new spaces. With this demonstration, we develop kits for educating students about renewable and solar energy while promoting a sense of creativity often lacking in STEM demonstrations. Students design LSC devices by painting newly developed luminescent dyes on plastic waveguides. Thin solar cell strips are mounted around the edges of the LSC paintings to generate power. Creativity in design, a central part of scientific discovery and advancement, is promoted throughout the painting and testing of LSC materials.

中文翻译：

---

发光太阳能聚光器绘画：艺术与能源的连接

温室气体排放对长期气候趋势的认识日益提高，使人们将目光重新聚焦于可再生能源技术的开发上，以减轻这些过程的影响。太阳能发电已被公认为是可行的可再生能源，但由于成本和可用应用领域等诸多因素而放慢了速度。正在研究发光太阳能集中器（LSC），这是将太阳能收集扩大到新空间的低成本途径。通过此演示，我们开发了用于向学生介绍可再生能源和太阳能的工具包，同时增强了STEM演示中通常缺乏的创造力。学生通过在塑料波导上涂新开发的发光染料来设计LSC设备。薄薄的太阳能电池条安装在LSC喷漆的边缘周围，以发电。在LSC材料的涂漆和测试过程中，设计的创新是科学发现和进步的核心部分。