Toward Stationary Concentrator Photovoltaic Panels

摘要

Stationary concentrator PV modules offer the potential for high energy production per unit area at low cost. We have explored two optical architectures toward this goal and report on our progress. A novel singlet lens array design incorporating fluidic self-aligned tracking has been demonstrated; this provides an elegant tracking solution but does not provide a sufficiently large effective acceptance angle to be practical for stationary mounting. A catadioptric design is much more promising in this regard. Initial demonstrations show the wide-angle internal tracking compatible with stationary mounting, and detailed modeling predicts high energy output. Practical issues surrounding actuation and backplane assembly must be solved, but these do not represent fundamental obstacles.