Photovoltaic Concentration: Research and Development

Abstract

Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) technology, by using efficient optical elements, small sizes and high efficiency multi-junction solar cells, can be seen as a bright energy source to produce more cost-effective electricity. The main and basic idea is to replace the use of expensive solar cells with less expensive optical elements made from different materials. This paper aims to give to the readers a rapid and concise overview of CPV and the main characteristics to be considered when designing a CPV system. It reviews the main optical configurations presented in the literature, their advantages and drawbacks, as well as the recent progress in the concentration ratio and the major performances achieved in the field. The paper considers the more recent works, their optical designs, as well as their optical and electrical performances. It also relates the major achievements on the industrial side with the major milestones in CPV developments.

Improved thermal stability of antireflective moth-eye topography imprinted on PMMA/TiO2 surface nanocomposites

“…Due to the high demand for renewable energy, another area that is receiving great attention is that of solar concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) devices because of the possibility of generating electricity in a more cost-effective manner than the conventional PV systems [81].…”

The development of Fresnel lens concentrators for solar water heaters: a case study in tropical climates

“…Plastic concentrator lenses can be an alternative ). The focal point of the lens will be hot, so the lens concentrator is used for solar heaters and solar cookers [4]. Therefore, this study will investigate the potential of Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) around the research location at the coordinates of Latitude: 7.9553 °S and Longitude: 112.6145 °E hoping to represent the condition of DNI, especially in Malang-Indonesia.…”

Influence of Solar Concentrator in the Form of Luminescent PMMA on the Performance of a Silicon Cell

“…Many concentrator technologies allow us to increase the performance of the photovoltaic installation. The Fresnel lens is the most used optical element in concentrator photovoltaic systems [10]. This type of element can be used in the circular and rectangular flat form.…”

“…At first, the light falls on the surface of the concentrator (1 natural irradiance) and part of it is absorbed (3), but the other part is reflected by the surface of the concentrator (2). The absorbed light part goes through the material of the concentrator (4) and the others are absorbed and reflected by the pigments (9), reabsorbed by neighbor dye molecules (5), and lost during transmission in the material (10). The numbers (6) in the schema are an escape-cone loss, (7) is transmitted radiation, and (8) is non-radiative decay [26].…”