Performance prediction of a novel solar power tower system based on spectral beam splitting

Abstract

Photovoltaic technology is currently the most widely used solar generation technology in engineering. The particular spectral response band of PV cells cannot convert all solar radiation into electricity. Meanwhile, some radiation will become heat, leading to an increase in cell temperature and a decrease in the conversion efficiency of photovoltaic cells. Spectral splitting technology is an effective technology to improve electrical generation efficiency and can achieve full spectrum utilization of solar energy. The current work involved (1) proposing a novel solar power tower comprehensive utilization system based on spectral splitting; (2) developing a spectral splitting thin film configuration by using the Needle method whose transmittance is higher than 90% against the band range of 510 nm-1, 020 nm; (3) setting up a spectral splitting PV panel whose cover glass is coated the developed film, and replacing the heliostat of SPT system by using such spectral splitting PV panels; (4) predicting the electrical power generation of the spectral splitting-based tower type concentrating solar power system. The results demonstrate that the power generation efficiency of the proposed system is 5.5% and 3.46% higher than PV power generation and SPT systems respectively.