Nontoxic Ultrasmall Quantum Dots Enable Scalable Luminescent Solar Concentrators for Vehicle Photovoltaics

The integration of luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) into vehicle-integrated photovoltaics (VIPV) offers transformative potential for urban renewable energy systems. Due to their high emission efficiencies and readily tunable emission and absorption spectra in the near-infrared (NIR) region, the I–III–VI2 ternary quantum dots (QDs) are considered good candidates for vehicular panoramic sunroofs. Here, we present a nontoxic, gram-scale synthesis of ultrasmall CuInGaS2/ZnS (CIGS/ZnS) core/shell QDs via a one-step shell growth strategy, achieving near-unity PLQY. Specifically, our ultrasmall QDs exhibit larger Stokes-shifts compared to the QDs with larger size. Based on the optimal CIGS/ZnS QDs, we fabricate the LSC (5 × 5 cm2) with a high external quantum efficiency of 10.89%. Furthermore, the as-fabricated laminated LSC devices demonstrate a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.03% under AM 1.5G illumination. Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulations indicate that the power conversion efficiency can maintain a value of 1.11%, even as the device size increases to 1 m2. Notably, if all electric vehicles in China’s first-tier cities were equipped with LSCs, it could generate an average of 21,170 MWh of electricity annually and reduce 1.08 × 107 t of CO2 emissions. Moreover, depending on regional solar conditions, each vehicle has the potential to produce 11.6 to 22 kWh of electricity per year. This work established a pathway for high-efficiency VIPV systems and advanced next-generation transparent photovoltaics for sustainable transportation and urban energy infrastructures.