111 sun concentrator photovoltaic module with wide acceptance angle that can efficiently operate using 30-min intermittent tracking system

Abstract

In this study, we propose a new concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system design with a large-acceptance-angle lens, which tracks the sun on the basis of a new 30-min intermittent tracking method that does not require a special high-precision CPV tracking system. This will reduce costs, because a large percentage of the cost of a typical CPV system comes from the expensive accurate tracking system. The present system had a concentration ratio of 111 and an acceptance angle of 4.5°. We conducted an experiment to evaluate the thermal and electrical performances of the system in an outdoor test site in Miyazaki, Japan. The experimental results were compared with optical, thermal, and electrical simulation results. The simulated results showed good agreement with the experimental ones.