DIELECTRIC PHOTOVOLTAIC CONCENTRATOR FOR BUILDING FACADE INTEGRATION: SECOND GENERATION PRIDE TECHNOLOGY

摘要

First generation Photovoltaic Facades of Reduced Costs Incorporating Devices with Optically Concentrating Elements (PRIDE) technology incorporating 3mm and 9mm wide single crystal silicon solar cells showed excellent power output compared to a similar non-concentrating system when it was characterized both indoors using a continuous solar simulator and outdoors. Second generation PRIDE systems incorporate 6 mm wide "Saturn" solar cells at the absorber of dielectric concentrators, which to provide cost effective manufacture are produced using moulding. The initial PV concentrators produced achieved a power ratio of 2.01 when compared to a similar non-concentrating system. The solar to electrical conversion efficiency achieved for the PV panel was 10.2% with a fill factor of 79% when characterised using a continuous solar simulator.