Concentrator Photovoltaic Cells Research Articles

Impact of DC-DC Converters on the Energy Performance of a Dense Concentrator PV Array under Nonuniform Irradiance and Temperature Profiles

Efficiency losses resulting from electrical mismatching in densely packed photovoltaic arrays present a significant challenge, particularly exacerbated in nonuniformly illuminated receivers and under varying temperatures. Serial configurations are particularly susceptible to radiation nonuniformities, while parallel systems are negatively affected by temperature variations. Various authors have recommended the incorporation of electrical voltage and current sources to mitigate these losses. This study explores different electrical connection configurations utilizing concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) cells and DC-DC electrical current converters. A self-adaptive microfluidic cell matrix cooling system is employed to mitigate thermal dispersion caused by the highly nonuniform illumination profile. The obtained results for each configuration are compared with the total electrical power produced by individual cells, operating under identical radiation and temperature conditions to those of the entire array. The results reveal a noteworthy increase in production across all studied configurations, with the parallel–series arrangement demonstrating the most promising practical utility. This configuration exhibited a remarkable 50.75% increase in power production compared with the standard series connection.

Mapping Solar Flux Distribution in Parabolic Trough Collectors to Assess Optical Performance

This paper describes the development and testing of a novel device capable of mapping the flux distribution in parabolic trough solar collectors (PTCs). Accurate knowledge about the flux distribution is essential in any concentrated solar power (CSP) application, in particular PTCs equipped with concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) cells, since their efficiency highly depends on the collector’s light focusing properties. However, the assessment of CSP collectors’ optical performance requires sophisticated measurement technology, as the error budget of any sun-tracking optical device comprises a variety of factors ranging from physical properties such as mirror reflectivity to mechanical aspects like gravity sag and play in gears. The presented approach features a scanner consisting of a CPV cell mounted on a pair of linear actuators. A thorough state of the art analysis was conducted and numerous technological approaches were assessed. Design aspects such as component selection, cooling, and data acquisition are discussed and finally exemplary measurement results are presented.

Performance Potential of a Concentrated Photovoltaic-Electrochemical Hybrid System

A novel hybrid system model, combining a concentrated photovoltaic cell (CPC) with a thermally regenerative electrochemical cycle (TREC), is proposed. This innovative setup allows the TREC to convert heat from the CPC into electricity. The model incorporates mathematical equations that explicitly define power output, energy efficiency, and exergy efficiency for both the CPC and the TREC individually, as well as for the hybrid system as a whole. The outcomes of the computations reveal that the hybrid system surpasses the performance metrics of the CPC alone. Specifically, the hybrid system achieves a notably higher maximum power density (MPD), maximum energy efficiency (MEE), and maximum exergy efficiency (MMEE) compared to the standalone CPC, with improvements of 392.68 W m−2, 10.33%, and 11.11%, respectively. Through thorough parametric analyses, it was observed that specific factors positively impact the hybrid system’s performance. These factors include higher operating temperatures, increased solar irradiation, specific concentration ratios, and alterations in the internal resistance or temperature coefficient of the TREC. However, it was noted that elevating the operating temperature of the CPC adversely affects the hybrid system’s performance. Furthermore, augmenting solar irradiation and optical concentration ratios amplifies the limiting electric current. Conversely, reducing the internal resistance of the TREC enhances the overall performance of the hybrid system. These discoveries have practical implications for optimizing the design and operation of a functional CPC-TREC hybrid system, providing valuable insights into maximizing its efficiency and effectiveness.

Novel designs for PCM passive heat sink of concentrated photovoltaic cells to enhance the heat transfer rate: presenting 4E analyses

Novel designs for PCM passive heat sink of concentrated photovoltaic cells to enhance the heat transfer rate: presenting 4E analyses

An experimental investigation on passive cooling of a triple-junction solar cell at high concentrations using various straight-finned heat sink configurations

The current study evaluates the energy, exergy, and environmental performance of concentrated triple junction photovoltaic (CPV TJ) cells at various concentration ratios with solar incident irradiance (CRs) ranging from 56 to 550 suns in Saudi Arabia during hot weather. Therefore, the integrated solar cells employed four distinct heat sinks: two with dimensions of 40 × 40 mm2, one with full straight fins (HS-A) and the other with chopped fins (HS-B), and the remaining two with dimensions of 150 × 70 mm2, one with full straight fins (HS-D) and the other with chopped fins (HS-C). The large heat sink (type-D) is 40.48% more efficient than the smaller one (type-B), which is only 39.7% efficient at a CR of 550. Regarding weight, the lighter heat sink (type-B) generates a higher relative power of roughly 1.22 W/g.cm2 than the heaviest one (type-D), which produces 0.22 W/g.cm2. According to exergy, the heat sink raised the solar cell improvement potential (IP) to 6.3, with exergy cost up to 0.085 $/cm2 higher than the uncooled cell. Based on an environmental study, combining the TJ cell with heat sinks reduces yearly carbon emissions by 311.9–327 tons/m2 compared to 43 tons/m2 for the uncooled cell.

Uniform cooling for concentrator photovoltaic cell by micro-encapsulated phase change material slurry in double-layered minichannels

The concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems often suffer high heat flux, leading to cell temperatures rising, which will affect its performance and reduce the service life. Double-layered minichannel heat sink (DL-MCHS) is an efficient cooling technology, which could effectively lower down the top temperature of CPV cell. Micro-encapsulated phase change material slurry (MPCS) is a novel type of latent heat functional fluid and has a good application prospect in the field of cooling. Therefore, MPCS flowing in the DL-MCHS, as the thermal management device was investigated for the cooling of CPV cell. Three configurations of minichannels, including staggered arrangement, parallel arrangement and dual unequal arrangement were compared and optimized. On the basis of optimization, the flow and heat transfer performance of MPCS with different concentrations in double-layered straight and wavy minichannels had been numerically studied. The results indicated that the lowest top temperature of dual unequal DL-MCHS obtained by counter arrangement could be reduced by 0.56 °C compared with the parallel arrangement at Re = 152. Both the ΔP and h were significantly influenced by concentrations. When Re reached 262, ΔP of 5 wt% MPCS in wave minichannel with 5 mm wavelength was 44 % larger than that of pure water in straight minichannel, which would consume more pumping power. However, the heat dissipation performance was improved significantly and Nusselt number in double-layered wavy minchannels also increased with the wavelength decreasing. Therefore, Performance Evaluation Criteria (PEC) was proposed to evaluate the overall performance, which was also greatly influenced by particle concentration and channel wavelength. After optimization, the highest PEC of MPCS in the wavy minichannel was achieved to 1.60. Because of the wavy minichannel with concave-convex structure, the obstacle of total thermal resistance became smaller for the wavelength decreasing. These findings of MPCS in minichannel can provide a good theoretical basis and engineering application in the cooling technology of CPV.

Performance analysis of a medium concentrated photovoltaic system thermally regulated by phase change material: Phase change material selection and comparative analysis for different climates

Thermal management of photovoltaic systems is important since their electrical output decreases with the increase in temperature. Thermal regulation of a photovoltaic system using a phase change material is an effective technique, but a careful selection of PCM in terms of its thermophysical properties is essential for its better performance. In this work, performance analysis of a novel medium concentrated photovoltaic system employing two mono-facial polycrystalline cells is carried out. The system is thermally regulated with a phase change material. An experimentally validated finite element-based coupled optical, thermal, and electrical model is used to analyze the system’s performance. The impact of the thermophysical properties of a PCM such as melting temperature, thermal conductivity, and heat of fusion on the thermal regulation of the system is studied using artificial neural networking methods. The optimum thermophysical properties of the PCM are determined using parametric analysis for the ambient temperatures ranging between 25 and 50 °C and a concentration ratio of 20×. Moreover, the performance of the system is analyzed using the optimum PCM for the semi-arid weather conditions of Lahore, Pakistan and the optimum PCM for oceanic weather conditions of Waterford, Ireland. It is found that the melting temperature, thermal conductivity, and heat of fusion of the PCM have a linearly indirect relationship with the temperature of the photovoltaic system while the ambient temperature has a linearly direct relationship with the photovoltaic system’s temperature. The melting temperature of a PCM should be 10–15 °C higher than the ambient temperatures up to the ambient temperature of 40 °C. The melting temperature of a PCM was found to be 5 – 10 °C higher than the ambient temperatures for ambient temperatures greater than 40 °C. The required thermal conductivity of a PCM increases with the increase in ambient temperature ranging from 10 to 12 Wm-1K−1 for the ambient temperature of 25 °C while 18–20 Wm-1K−1 for the ambient temperature of 50 °C. The suitable heat of fusion is found in the range of 210–220 kJkg−1. It is found that the optimum PCM for Lahore has melting temperature, thermal conductivity, and heat of fusion of 53–56 °C, 19 Wm-1K−1 and 220 kJkg−1 respectively. The optimum PCM for Waterford has melting temperature, thermal conductivity, and heat of fusion of 35–37 °C, 11 Wm-1K−1 and 220kJkg−1 respectively. The maximum temperature of concentrated photovoltaic cell for Lahore, Pakistan remains below 83 °C, while for Waterford, Ireland, it is below 59 °C for all the months in a year. From April to August, the output power is higher for Waterford with an average difference of 12%, while from September to March, Lahore has the higher power output with an average difference of 47%. The maximum power obtained for Lahore is 0.185kWh/day/m2, while for Ireland it is 0.213kWh/day/m2. A maximum deviation of 6% is found for electrical output and less than 3% for thermal output between simulated and experimental results during validation.

COOLING OF CONCENTRATED PHOTOVOLTAICS WITH PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL AND FINS

The increase in cell temperature with increased irradiance is probably the most significant disadvantage of using photovoltaic with reflector modules. In this study, a developed Phase Change Material system was integrated into the rear section of a concentrating Photovoltaic system to limit its temperature rise. The heat transmission of the concentrating photovoltaic with a phase change material system was investigated using an experimental method and a numerical method. The temperature distribution was simulated numerically using ANSYS 2021 three-dimensions model. Three cases were studied: one without wax, one with wax, and one with wax and fins. The results displayed convergence between the experimental results and the numerical results. The effect of using phase change materials on performance and efficiency of concentrated photovoltaic cells, the amount of temperature reduction through the wax melting period for concentration with paraffin wax and concentration photovoltaic with fin and paraffin wax by 2.8 °C and 6 °C, respectively, as well as an enhancement in efficiency of photovoltaic at the noon time of cases by 1.807% and 3.182% related to the reference photovoltaic. The outcomes also demonstrated that using fins aids in the distribution of temperatures, resulting in regular melting of wax in comparison to wax without fins.

A novel thermosyphon cooling applied to concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric system for passive and efficient heat dissipation

Concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric systems have received extensive research attention as a means of enhancing the utilization rate of solar energy. However, the expedited progress of these systems has been hindered by a myriad of challenges, such as the additional power consumption required for active cooling and the inadequate cooling rates of conventional passive cooling techniques. To overcome these limitations, a novel concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric system integrating thermosyphon cooling has been developed and subjected to a comprehensive analysis, encompassing its start-up performance, pipe resistance characteristics, and power generation performance have been analyzed. The results reveal that the buoyancy generated by the thermosyphon is 8.22 N, which effectively drives the speed of cooling water circulation to 0.011 m/s. The start-up time of the thermosyphon effect lengthens gradually with a decrease in inclination angle of heat sink, while the cooling temperature at the final stable state remains relatively consistent. Remarkably, at 240 kW/m2, the concentrated photovoltaic cell exhibits a remarkable heat dissipation power density of 15.26 W/cm2. Meanwhile, the optimal output voltage of concentrated photovoltaic is 1.907 V, at which the concentrated photovoltaic output power is 1.774 W. The optimal output voltage of thermoelectric is 0.528 V, at which the thermoelectric output power is 0.054 W. The results provide guidance for designing high-performance cooling systems for concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric systems.

Enhancement of concentrator photovoltaic system through convergent-divergent microchannels

Concentrated photovoltaic technology is one of the evolving technologies that converts solar to electrical energy with a high efficiency percentage. Increasing concentrated photovoltaic cell’s temperature significantly reduces the performance of the system. Thus, in order to properly functioning of system, thermal management will be a rudimentary issue. This article focuses on the cooling performance of high-concentration photovoltaic system using microchannels attached to the bottom plate of solar cell. To this end, the effect of convergent-divergent microchannels at three amplitudes and three wave lengths at different Reynolds numbers is investigated, and results are compared with simple microchannels. The output results are presented via temperature, pressure, velocity contours as well as Nusselt number, friction factor, and effectiveness ratio. Compared to the simple microchannels, convergent-divergent microchannel lowers the wall temperature about 0.4–2 Kelvin by making velocity gradients along the channel. This leads to boosting the heat transfer capability up to 3 times in the best case and up to 1.5 times in the worst case. Increasing the wave length enhances the performance of system, while the opposite trend has been seen for greater wave amplitudes. For case A with lowest wave length, Nu increases 1.92 and 2.4 times at lowest and highest Re numbers while friction factor increases due to the higher contact surface area along the fluid stream. Moreover, increasing the wave amplitude leads to higher Nu number, higher friction factor and consequently lower effectiveness ratio. Finally, effectiveness ratio as a criterion to choose best case has shown that a higher wave length alongside with lower wave amplitude offers better heat transfer enhancement and lower pressure drop compared to simple channel. Case C-1 as a best case offers 0.8K lower wall temperature, 1.6 times better Nu number with only 1.3-time higher friction factor.

Performance investigation of a concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric hybrid system for electricity and cooling production

To fully exploit inlet sunlight, a novel hybrid system comprising a concentrated photovoltaic cell, a thermoelectric generator, and a thermoelectric cooler is established. The thermoelectric generator generates electricity by thermally harnessing the solar spectrum energy unavailable to the concentrated photovoltaic cell and then drives the thermoelectric cooler to produce additional cooling. With full consideration of internal and external irreversibility, the numerical model of the hybrid system is developed, where comprehensive heat transfer equations are constructed by the effectiveness-number of transfer units method. Subsequently, the performance characteristics of the system are evaluated by energetic and exergetic analysis. Over the operating range of the thermoelectric unit, when the performance enhancement of the hybrid system is maximized, the associated power density, energy efficiency, and exergy efficiency are, respectively, 42.828 Wm-2, 0.0251, and 0.0255, which are improved by 3.53%, 3.72%, and 3.66% in comparison to the stand-alone concentrated photovoltaic system. Meanwhile, the exergy destruction rate density is reduced by 0.49%. Furthermore, comprehensive sensitivity analyses are undertaken to derive the effects of critical designing parameters and operating conditions on the overall performance. The obtained outcomes may contribute to the design and operation of such a cogeneration system.

Cooling of Concentrated Photovoltaic Cells—A Review and the Perspective of Pulsating Flow Cooling

This article presents a review to provide up-to-date research findings on concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) cooling, explore the key challenges and opportunities, and discuss the limitations. In addition, it provides a vision of a possible future trend and a glimpse of a promising novel approach to CPV cooling based on pulsating flow, in contrast to existing cooling methods. Non-concentrated photovoltaics (PV) have modest efficiency of up to around 20% because they utilise only a narrow spectrum of solar irradiation for electricity conversion. Therefore, recent advances employed multi-junction PV or CPV to widen the irradiation spectrum for conversion. CPV systems concentrate solar irradiation on the cell’s surface, producing high solar flux and temperature. The efficient cooling of CPV cells is critical to avoid thermal degradation and ensure optimal performance. Studies have shown that pulsating flow can enhance heat transfer in various engineering applications. The advantage of pulsating flow over steady flow is that it can create additional turbulence and mixing in the fluid, resulting in a higher heat transfer coefficient. Simulation results with experimental validation demonstrate the enhancement of this new cooling approach for future CPV systems. The use of pulsating flow in CPV cooling has shown promising results in improving heat transfer and reducing temperature gradients.

Performance of a Heat-Pipe Cooled Concentrated Photovoltaic/Thermoelectric Hybrid System

Compared to traditional one-sun solar cells, multijunction concentrator cells operating under concentrated solar radiation are advantageous because of their high output and low cooling costs. Such a concentrator PV requires a cooling technique to maintain its performance and efficiency. The performance of a multi-junction concentrator photovoltaic cell of efficiency around 33%, operating under concentrated solar radiation (160–250 sun), has been tested. Heat pipes were used in this study as a fast and efficient way of rejecting heat accumulated in the cells. In this work, the evaporator side of the heat pipe was set in thermal contact with the back side of the solar cell such that the excess heat was transferred efficiently to the other side (condenser side). To positively utilize such excessive heat, two thermoelectric generators were thermally attached to either side of the condenser of the heat pipe, and each was attached to a fin-shaped heat sink. Four different cooling configurations were tested and compared. The net power obtained by this concentrator solar cell employing two types of TEG with different lengths as a cooling alongside two thermoelectric generators for heat-to-electricity conversion was 20% and 17%, corresponding to the long and short heat pipe configurations, respectively, compared to traditional a heat sink only configured at an optical concentration of 230 suns.

Characteristics of MEMS Heat Sink Using Serpentine Microchannel for Thermal Management of Concentrated Photovoltaic Cells

This work explains the simulation-based study to understand the thermohydraulic characteristics (thermal resistance and pumping power) of a MEMS heat sink using serpentine microchannels employed for thermal management of concentrated photovoltaic cells; the planar dimensions of both are 1 cm by 1 cm. In this study, water is the coolant and the MEMS heat sink is constructed in silicon. Over the Reynolds number varying from 50 to 1000 and for concentration ratio of 20, the thermal resistance and pumping power of a MEMS heat sink using serpentine microchannel, in comparison with that using straight microchannel, is lower and higher, respectively; the benefit of switching microchannels outweigh the cost as up to 64% reduction in thermal resistance is achieved with just 126% rise in pumping power. Studies are done for understanding the contribution of geometry of the serpentine microchannel on the characteristics of the MEMS heat sink. Irrespective of the geometry, rise in Reynolds number leads to the rise and decrease in the pumping power and thermal resistance, respectively. For a particular Reynolds number, decrease in hydraulic diameter, rise in offset width, and decrease in offset length led to rise in pumping power and decrease in thermal resistance. The contribution of concentration ratio on characteristics of MEMS heat sink using serpentine microchannel is investigated and found to be independent of concentration ratio. Nusselt and Poiseuille numbers of serpentine microchannel are provided for the benefit of heat sink designers; these parameters are higher for serpentine microchannel in comparison with a similar straight microchannel.

A novel configuration of a dual concentrated photovoltaic system: Thermal, optical, and electrical performance analysis

In this work, a validated finite element-based coupled optical, thermal, and electrical model is used to assess the performance of a dual concentrated photovoltaic system thermally regulated using a PCM for the environmental conditions of Lahore, Pakistan. Thermal management of the system is achieved using a selected PCM. That has a melting temperature of 53-56?C, a thermal conductivity of 19 W/mK, and heat of fusion of 220 kJ/kg. Thermal regulation and power output of the system are analyzed for a clear day of six months of a year. It is found that the maximum temperature of the upper PV cell is ~80?C while for the bottom PV cell is ~82?C in July. The percentage power gain obtained after the addition of an upper concentrated PV cell is ~17.9%. The maximum and minimum power of the system is found to be 0.079 kWh/day/m2 and 0.041 kWh/day/m2 in May and November, respectively.

Modeling and Simulation of Silicon Solar Cells under Low Concentration Conditions

Today’s research on concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) cells focuses on creating multi-junction semiconductor solar cells capable of withstanding high temperatures without losing their properties. This paper investigated silicon low concentrated photovoltaic (LCPV) devices using Fresnel lenses. The parameters of the silicon CPV cell were measured to simulate its operation based on a single-diode model with four and five parameters. The most optimal position of the Fresnel lens relative to the solar cell was shown, and the dependence of the CPV efficiency on the concentration ratio, incident solar power, and temperature was studied. Experiments on heating of a solar cell were conducted to build a model of heating of a solar cell under different solar radiation based on machine learning. Additionally, a cooling system was developed, and experiments were conducted for one LCPV cell. The resulting LCPV model was used to predict electrical power output and temperature change pattern using clear day data. Results of modeling show increase in generated energy by 27% compared with non-concentrated solar cells. Cooling system energy consumption was simulated, and the optimum cooling regime was determined. The proposed LCPV system can be used as a hybrid heat and electricity source, increase power generation, and does not require new solar cell production technologies.

Photo‐Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 Under Concentrated Sunlight Enables Combination of High Reaction Rate and Efficiency

AbstractPhoto‐electrochemical production of solar fuels from carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight is an appealing approach. Nevertheless, it remains challenging to scale despite encouraging demonstrations at low power input. Higher current densities require notable voltage input as ohmic losses and activation overpotentials become more significant, resulting in lower solar‐to‐CO conversion efficiencies. A concentrated photovoltaic cell is integrated into a custom‐made heat managed photo‐electrochemical device. The heat is transferred from the photovoltaic module to the zero‐gap electrolyzer cell by the stream of anodic reactant and produce synergetic effects on both sides. With solar concentrations up to 450 suns (i.e., 450 kW m−2) applied for the first time to photo‐electrochemical reduction of CO2, a partial current for CO production of 4 A is achieved. At optimal conditions, the solar‐to‐CO conversion efficiency reaches 17% while maintaining a current density of 150 mA cm−2 in the electrolyzer and a CO selectivity above 90%, representing an overall 19% solar‐to‐fuel conversion efficiency. This study represents a first demonstration of photo‐electrochemical CO2 reduction under highly concentrated light, paving the way for resource efficient solar fuel production at high power input.

Performance assessment of a novel integrated concentrator photovoltaic system with encapsulated phase change materials

The utilization of phase change materials (PCMs) with concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems for energy storage and thermal management is limited. This is mainly due to the low thermal conductivity and poor heat transfer from the CPV cell to the PCM. In the current study, a novel design of encapsulated phase change materials integrated with a concentrator photovoltaic system is developed to enhance the conversion and thermal efficiencies of CPV systems. The new design enhances the effective thermal conductivity of the PCM-based heat sink and allows for rapid heat dissipation from the CPV cell. Two different sets of PCM enclosures are considered and compared to a conventional heat sink without encapsulation. The first set includes single, double, and triple encapsulated PCMs. The second set consists of four enclosures, each with three capsules having a combination of PCM arrangements with different melting temperatures. To assess system performance, a two-dimensional model of photovoltaic layers integrated with encapsulated phase change material-based heat sink is developed. The model is numerically simulated and validated with experimental and numerical data. Results indicate that triple encapsulation reduces the average cell temperature by 16 ℃ and non-uniformity index by 24 ℃, compared to the conventional heat sink. In addition, using triple-encapsulation results in higher electrical output power, thermal energy storage, and lower heat loss. Moreover, the system's cumulative electrical and thermal efficiency is enhanced by 21.3 % and 5.29 %, respectively. The findings introduce a more efficient design that can accommodate a worldwide increase in energy demand.

Structural optimization of thermoelectric modules in a concentration photovoltaic–thermoelectric hybrid system

Concentration photovoltaic (CPV) cells can only partially convert solar energy into electricity. The remaining energy is converted into thermal energy. This not only causes the temperature of the photovoltaic cell to rise, but also reduces the generation efficiency of the cell. The excess CPV heat can be recovered using a thermoelectric generator (TEG). The design of the structure of the TEG is important for a CPV-TEG hybrid system because it affects the heat dissipation of the CPV and thus its efficiency. In this study, a mathematical model of a hybrid system was established. The focus was to examine the effect of the structural parameters of the TEG on the system efficiency. The results showed that an optimal structural parameter (the ratio of the cross-sectional ratio to the height) with the value of 0.36 mm−1 existed for the TEG, enabling the system efficiency to reach a maximum of 41.73% under simulated conditions. In addition, the relationship between the optimal structural parameter, CPV temperature coefficient, concentration ratio, and cooling heat transfer coefficient was analyzed. The results can provide guidance for the efficient design of a hybrid system.

Performance evaluation of high concentration photovoltaic cells cooled by microchannels heat sink with serpentine reentrant microchannels

Efficient cooling is critical to reduce cell temperatures of high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) cells to avoid the output electrical performance degradation and lifetime reduction. In this study, we develop a novel type of microchannel heat sink (MHS) with serpentine reentrant microchannels (SRM) for efficient cooling of HCPV cells. They feature serpentine flow passages with Ω-shaped cross-sectional configurations, which contribute to promote fluid mixing and disrupt the normal development of thermal boundary layers. Thus they are able to provide excellent heat transfer characteristics and highly efficient cooling performance. By the comparison of a fin heat sink, both numerical and outdoor experimental studies were comprehensively conducted to explore the enhancement feasibility of thermal and electrical performance of HCPV cells. Results showed that the SRM reduced the cell temperatures and enhanced the temperature uniformity of HCPV cell module considerably, i.e., it presented cell temperatures of 25-31℃, much smaller than that of 45-63℃ of the fin heat sink. The temperature differences of HCPV cell modules were reduced to be less than 4.4℃. Besides, the output power increased by as high as 115%, and the electrical efficiency increased to 15–20% for the HCPV cell module with serpentine reentrant microchannels. Besides, the HCPV cell module with SRM was also found to induce smaller average cell temperatures and better electrical performance than a module with parallel reentrant microchannels (PRM). Moreover, the effects of flow rate and concentration ratio on the performance of HCPV cells with SRM were also assessed.