Abstract
In this research, we present a novel design for a large scale spectral splitting concentrator photovoltaic system based on double flat waveguides. The sunlight concentrator consists of a Fresnel lens array and double waveguides. Sunlight is firstly concentrated by Fresnel lenses then reaches an upper flat waveguide (UFW). The dichroic mirror-coated prisms are positioned at each focused area to divide the sunlight spectrum into two bands. The mid-energy (mid E) band is reflected at the prism surface and coupled to the UFW. The GaInP/GaAs dual-junction solar cell is attached at the exit port of the UFW to maximize the electrical conversion efficiency of the mid E band. The low-energy (low E) band is transmitted and reaches a bottom flat waveguide (BFW). The mirror coated prisms are utilized to redirect the mid E band sunlight for coupling with the BFW. The GaInAsP/GaInAs dual-junction solar cell is applied to convert the low E band to electricity. The system was modeled using the commercial optic simulation software LightTools™. The results show that the proposed system can achieve optical efficiencies of 84.02% and 80.01% for the mid E band and low E band, respectively, and a 46.1% electrical conversion efficiency for the total system. The simulation of the system performance and comparison with other PV systems prove that our proposed design is a new approach for a highly efficient photovoltaic system.
Highlights
Solar is considered to be a promising renewable energy source, which can be a solution to the issues associated with fossil fuels and nuclear energy
Figure shows that the mid E band solar cell attached on the exit port of the upper flat waveguide (UFW) is made of a GaInP top four bands, each band corresponding to a single junction solar cell, as shown in
We found that the output powers of the UFW and bottom flat waveguide (BFW) do not change with dUFW > 4.5 mm and dBFW > 2.7 mm and decrease significantly when dUFW < 4.5 mm and dBFW < 2.7, respectively
Summary
Solar is considered to be a promising renewable energy source, which can be a solution to the issues associated with fossil fuels and nuclear energy. An alternative approach is proposed for large scale spectral splitting CPV systems by replacing the focused beam handling part by double flat waveguides to eliminate secondary optics and share the solar cell and heat dissipater. The low E band is confined in the bottom waveguide and absorbed achieve high optical efficiency, but it is for small scales, and the concentration ratio is low because of by a low E band solar cell. This design can achieve high optical efficiency, but it is for small scales, the use of cylindrical lens and the lossless mechanism.
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