Investigation of scattering profiles for passive solar light collectors

We explore the use of light scattering off diffuser elements to enhance the collection efficiency in a passive solar collection system. Our work is focused on establishing the link between the scattering surface profile and the angular distribution of the scattered radiation. We have carried out such studies through simulations using ASAP® software and are currently working on comparing the results with experimentally obtained data. © 2011 Copyright Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).