Abstract
The solar-to-electric conversion potential of hybrid solar CPV/CSP parabolic trough collector (PTC) systems incorporating spectral beam splitting (SBS) is examined. Single and novel two-stage PTCs are paired with four different solar cells (c-Si, CdTe, GaAs, InGaP) and simultaneously simulated for the first time with spectral and temperature optimization to maximize solar-to-electric conversion. All cases show improvement, with the limiting case of an ideal, lossless optical filter enhancing conversion efficiency over typical PTC CSP plants by 25% with c-Si and 50% with GaAs. Typical interference (dichroic) filter systems demonstrate greater conversion efficiencies than systems with novel semi-transparent and back-reflecting solar cell beam splitters. Two-stage systems recover high operating temperatures in the CSP subsystem under partial illumination without reducing the overall conversion efficiency, enhancing the dispatchability of the thermal power. Economic analysis reveals a hybrid solar CPV/CSP beam splitting system with interference filters and c-Si cells can be built for $2.39/W. A new economic model comparing hybrid CPV/CSP to side-by-side PV/CSP is presented, demonstrating the limitations of c-Si paired systems and the potential of III-V cell SBS systems.
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