Abstract
Planar micro-optic concentrators are passive optical structures which combine a lens array with faceted microstructures to couple sunlight into a planar slab waveguide. Guided rays propagate within the slab to edge-mounted photovoltaic cells. This paper provides analysis and preliminary experiments describing modifications and additions to the geometry which increase concentration ratios along both the vertical and orthogonal waveguide axes. We present simulated results for a 900x concentrator with 85% optical efficiency, measured results for small-scale experimental systems and briefly discuss implementations using low-cost fabrication on continuous planar waveguides.
Highlights
Solar concentrators employ large optical components to focus sunlight onto small area photovoltaic cells
Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems typically rely upon an array of lenses or mirrors which focus onto individual solar cells [1,2]
The research included in this paper explored approaches to increase the geometric concentration ratio without incurring additional losses associated with waveguide propagation
Summary
Solar concentrators employ large optical components to focus sunlight onto small area photovoltaic cells. Stepped or tapered waveguides have been proposed to reduce or eliminate interaction with lossy surface structures [8,9] These systems can support efficient propagation, but large-area, three-dimensional components are not compatible with roll-to-roll manufacture and instead depend upon more costly molding processes. Another proposed approach to reduce propagation loss while maintaining a uniform thickness is to introduce bypass elements which divert guided light around coupling microstructures [10].
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