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A ray tracing simulation has been developed for luminescent solar concentrators. By fitting to measurements on the devices, parameters such as the quantum efficiency of the dyes employed can be determined. Once a complete description of the device is available it becomes clear where the losses originate from and directions for the improvement of the devices can be given
Quantum dot solar concentrators (QDCs) have been fabricated by the incorporation of quantum dots into highly transparent polymer host materials. UV polymerisation techniques were found to reduce the quantum dot quantum efficiency in comparison with thermally polymerised samples. The sample plates were characterised using photocurrent techniques in individual and stacked configurations. Due to the...
Over the last 15 years, Solar Systems have developed a dense array receiver PV technology for 500X concentrator reflective dish applications. This concentrator PV technology has been successfully deployed at six different locations in Australia, counting for more than 1 MWp of installed peak power. A new Multijunction III-V receiver to replace the current silicon Point-Contact solar cells has recently...
This paper discusses on possibilities of HCPV, including (1) cost (2) reliability (3) performance and (4) applications. The reduction of the cost is achieved by the reduction of the material itself. The material is not special. HCPV does not covered by special materials including pure Si, TCO, Ru-based dye, or Pt electrode or other materials using CVD or other vacuum process. HCPV modules are made...
After 30 years of concentrator development and practically no one industrial nor commercial activities the PVC market seems ready to start and to grow fast due to feed in tariff laws approved in several sunny countries, as Spain and Italy. The lack of official qualification normative should not allow commercializing unproven technologies. Responsible commercialization requires asking manufacturers...
Recently, high-concentration PV using III-V solar cells becomes more attractive and several companies were founded. In the first part of this paper we present examples of III-V based high-concentration systems. The second part of the paper is devoted to experimental results obtained for a CPV system using FLATCONreg-type modules. An averaged system efficiency of 19.1% and a maximum system efficiency...
Solar concentrators based in large-area Si-cells have been always dealing with the same difficulty: how to encapsulate cells into receivers. Concentration cells have to be cooled in order to avoid high operating temperatures, but in the case of large-area cells additional problems exits due to their weaker mechanical properties. A new solution for the third generation of EUCLIDES is proposed: using...
A major step forward has been made towards cost reduction of terrestrial PV. World-record multijunction III-V solar cells have been integrated into a commercial concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system. A dense array of high-efficiency solar cells in the receiver of a high-intensity (~500X) concentrator system has been identified as a viable, cost-effective system. Concentrator ultra triple junction...
With a growing demand for renewable energy, attention is drawn to concentrator photovoltaic (PV) systems, which require minimal amount of high efficiency solar cell materials. We investigate select life cycle environmental metrics for the 24 kW Amonix concentrator PV system. The results show that this system pays back the initial energy investment for its production in 1.3 yrs and generates life cycle...
This paper is a description of research activity in the field of cost-effective modules realizing the concept of very high solar concentration with small-aperture area Fresnel lenses and multijunction III-V cells. Structural simplicity and "all-glass" design are the guiding principles of the corresponding development. The advanced concentrator modules are made with silicone Fresnel lens...
The Australian National University (ANU) has installed a 300 m2 photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) concentrator system in a four-story building. The building is provided with eight CHAPS collectors, 6000 liters of hot water storage, hydronic in-slab floor heating, gas fired boosters and a 40 kW inverter. A CHAPS collector is a 38X, one axis tracking PV concentrator that is 24 meters long. Heat is removed...
Multi-junction solar cells from III-V compound semiconductors can generate ideal voltages for the electrolysis of water. This paper presents results of a PV-concentrator HyConreg with Ga0.35In0.65P/Ga0.83In0.17As tandem solar cells which are directly connected to the electrodes of a local polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyser. This electrolyser is integrated into the base plate of a concentrator...
The design of an 1kW concentrator test module and its outdoor measurement results at INER, Taiwan are presented. The PV receiver is formed on the base of InGaP/GaAs/Ge triple junction solar cells with an optical concentrating ratio about 100x. A module efficiency as high as 22.3% has been obtained under 850 W/m2 DNI with passive cooling
The problems of a solar energy conversion to electrical power by means of thermophotovoltaic systems on base AVBVI are considered for high concentration solar applications. As p-n-junctions it is offered to use monocrystals Bi2Te3 p-type and Bi2Se3 n-type conduction. P-n film structures of p-Bi2Te3-n-Bi2Se3, received by a method of discrete thermal evaporation in a uniform work cycle, are suitable...
Data of direct beam radiation and irradiance are very scarce, but such information is required to predict the performance and productivity of PV concentrators. These systems seem to reach the market and investors requires information on its productivity. In this paper the energy produced by two well modelled C-systems (linear Euclides and classic Point focus) using actual and calculated direct beam...
New concepts of concentrator modules have been proposed in the last years based on refractive optics and cost effective III-V devices at high concentration levels. The small size of the cells, the high concentration ratio and the compact aspect of the optics are some of the particular characteristics of these C-systems. In this paper we face out the optical characterization of these mini concentrator...
The Cassegrainian solar concentrator module concept we shall describe here uses a primary and a dichroic secondary mirror to split the solar spectrum into two parts and direct the infrared and near visible portions of the spectrum to two separate cell locations. An efficiency of 32.9% (STC) is reported measured outdoors for a solar concentrator PV module using InGaP/GaAs dual junction (DJ) cells located...
A module efficiency loss analysis has been conducted by comparing the efficiency of the module on-sun (28.2% peak) to the efficiency of the bare cell measured in the laboratory (35.5% peak). This analysis suggests that there are two main loss mechanisms in the module: elevated operating temperature and an optical efficiency less than unity. This analysis also suggests that the effects of spectral...
A novel two-mirror high concentration nonimaging optic has been designed that shares the advantages of present two mirror aplanatic imaging concentrators but also overcomes their main limitation of trade-off between acceptance angle and irradiance uniformity. A system concept has been defined, and a first prototype in under development
SolFocustrade is developing two generations of photovoltaic concentrator systems, both based on reflective Cassegrain-like architectures. Generation 1 is being readied for manufacturing, and is poised for roll out to test fields this year. Generation 2, a solid dielectric system, is under joint development by SolFocus and PARC, with prototype components under evaluation. The status of generation 1...
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