OTSunWebApp: A ray tracing web application for the analysis of concentrating solar-thermal and photovoltaic solar cells

Abstract

In the field of solar energy, simulation tools based on ray tracing are crucial for the design and optimization of solar energy systems. However, the limitations of existing free ray tracing software, such as the inability to simulate both thermal and photovoltaic systems with any geometry while considering real optical phenomena, hinder their usefulness for researchers. In this paper, we present the webtool OTSunWebApp, built upon the python library OTSun, which allows the user to analyze solar harvesting devices regardless of its application (thermal/PV). It can be used either by installing the program locally, which is simplified thanks to the use of docker containers, or by using the server we provide, which means that the users does not have to install anything. The free software FreeCAD is used to draw the mechanical system to be simulated. Here we show the structure of the webtool, how to manage the FreeCAD file in order to simulate the system and which experiments can be performed. We finish giving two illustrative examples, one of a solar power tower plant, and one of a photovoltaic cell. Having already reported on the library OTSun in a previous publication, the present manuscript shows how the functionality of OTSunWebApp constitutes a very powerful scientific online tool for the design and improvement of solar harvesting systems.