An energy analysis of a linear concentrating photovoltaic system with an active cooling system

Abstract

The recent focus on renewable energy has lead to an increased awareness of solar energy. Concentrating photovoltaic systems have seen a resurgence in research interest since their earlier pilot plant origins in the 1970s and 1980s. The use of concentration reduces the amount of expensive photovoltaic materials while maintaining a high level of incident solar radiation. This research combines the advantage of concentrating solar energy with high efficiency multijunction cells and an active cooling system to create a system that efficiently produces both electricity and heat. A linear concentrating photovoltaic system model was developed in order to simulate the system under actual solar and climatic conditions, where a number of different system variables can be adjusted. This simulation was used to evaluate the effects of domestic hot water use on a 6.2 kWp system. The results show the changes in solar cell efficiency, electricity produced, thermal energy produced, dollar value displaced, and global warming potential displaced as the domestic hot water use of the system is varied. This simulation can be used to find an optimal system for given input conditions and can be used to find optimal operating conditions for a given system size.