Numerical and lab experiment study of a novel concentrating PV with uniform flux distribution

Abstract

The uniform illumination profile that falls on the PV cell is good for PV output and lifespan, however the flux distribution of the concentrating PV appears to be non-uniform in most cases which is harmful for the overall performance of the concentrating photovoltaic. In order to overcome this disadvantage, a novel asymmetric compound parabolic concentrator concentrating PV with uniform flux distribution is proposed in this paper. A two-dimensional finite element model is built for electrical performance simulation of the concentrating photovoltaic module. The prototype of the concentrating photovoltaic module is manufactured and assembled to conduct the indoor lab experiment under Standard Test Condition to verify the feasibility and reliability of the model. The outdoor experiments are conducted to show the electrical performance of the concentrating photovoltaic module under the real weather condition. Then the model is used to analyze the electrical performance of the PV cell under the flux distribution created by the proposed concentrator. The results show that the electrical performance of the proposed concentrating photovoltaic module is close to that under the uniform flux distribution with the same total radiation level, which confirms that the proposed concentrator is beneficial for the PV output under concentrating illumination due to uniform flux distribution.