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Tracking integration in concentrating photovoltaics using laterally moving optics

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Abstract

In this work the concept of tracking-integrated concentrating photovoltaics is studied and its capabilities are quantitatively analyzed. The design strategy desists from ideal concentration performance to reduce the external mechanical solar tracking effort in favor of a compact installation, possibly resulting in lower overall cost. The proposed optical design is based on an extended Simultaneous Multiple Surface (SMS) algorithm and uses two laterally moving plano-convex lenses to achieve high concentration over a wide angular range of ±24°. It achieves 500× concentration, outperforming its conventional concentrating photovoltaic counterparts on a polar aligned single axis tracker.

© 2011 Optical Society of America

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Supplementary Material (2)

Media 1: AVI (3808 KB)     
Media 2: AVI (3292 KB)     

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Figures (8)

Fig. 1
Fig. 1 Inherent difference between a conventional (stationary) CPV module with its acceptance angle α (a) and a tracking-integrated CPV module with the aperture angle αA of the optical system and the acceptance angle α for a particular direction (b).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2 Angular range of incident sun light for CPV modules mounted on a single axis tracker that is (a) polar aligned or (b) horizontally aligned. (Both for Seville, Spain).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3 Example of a calculated meniscus lens for two parallel ray sets and design angles θ = ±10°. The laterally moving receiver is indicated.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4 Line concentration (a) and point concentration (b) ratio against the incident angle for different SMS2D lenses comprising a laterally moving receiver.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5 Schematic drawing of a basic optical system consisting of two laterally moving lenses and a receiver plane. The offset indicates the lateral shift of the second lens for an off-axis incident ray set. All relevant parameters describing the system are indicated.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6 Extended SMS2D design procedure to include motion by the alternate addition of surface segments on the top and bottom surfaces of two plano-convex lenses. The calculation starts through the center of the bottom surface which determines the optical path length (a). It then proceeds through mirroring (b) to the edges (c) of the lenses. Finally, all chains add up to the final lenses that map the incident rays to the receiver point R (d).
Fig. 7
Fig. 7 Line concentration (a) and point concentration (b) ratio against the incident angle for different extended SMS2D lens designs comprising a lateral moveable receiver.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8 Exemplary single-frame excerpts from ray tracing animation of (a) line concentration ( Media 1) and (b) point concentration ( Media 2) over the entire angular range. The used designs are the two results obtained for θ = 19° for line and point concentration.
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