Concentrator Photovoltaic Technology Research Articles

Fabrication of Pre-Structured Substrates and Growth of CIGS Micro-Absorbers.

Second-generation thin-film Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells are a well-established photovoltaic technology with a record power conversion efficiency of 23.6%. However, their reliance on critical raw materials, such as In and Ga, requires new approaches to reduce the amount of critical raw materials employed. The micro-concentrator concept involves the combination of thin-film photovoltaic technology with concentrator photovoltaic technology. This approach reduces the size of the solar cell to the micrometer range and uses optical concentration to collect sunlight from a larger area, focusing it onto micro solar cells. This work is devoted to the development of a process for manufacturing pre-structured substrates with regular arrays of holes with 200 and 250 µm diameters inside a SiOx insulating matrix. Subsequently, a Cu-In-Ga precursor is deposited by sputtering, followed by photoresist lift-off and the application of a Cu-In-Ga thermal annealing at 500 °C to improve precursor quality and assess pre-structured substrate stability under elevated temperatures. Finally, a two-stage selenization process leads to the formation of CIGS absorber micro-dots. This study presents in detail the fabrication process and explores the feasibility of a bottom-up approach using pre-structured substrates, addressing challenges encountered during fabrication and providing insights for future improvements in CIGS absorber materials.

Simulation and modeling of the possibility of implementing solar high-concentrating photovoltaic in Libya

Concentrating photovoltaics is a type of solar photovoltaic technology that relies on sunlight concentrating to produce electrical energy. In this regard, high-efficiency solar cells comprise many different materials cells, and energy band gaps are stacked respectively on top of each other. This technology, depending on a large portion of the solar spectrum component, which absorbed by the triple-junction solar cell; the consequence is a rise in the device’s conversion efficiency. The layers of semiconductor materials, including GaInP/GaInAs/Ge, are coupled in series to gain high efficiency. Besides, an accurate assessment of the energy yield from a concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) device throughout its lifetime and the electrical performance characteristics in different operating environments is required. Hence, an MSCS-1D: V-2 solar cell simulator tool and a system advisor model (SAM) are used to model and simulate performance behavior. In this paper, we modeled and simulated mini solar concentrating photovoltaics. Based on that, solar CPV technology can be implemented in such regions to generate electricity and heat. Moreover, the selected region has a great potential for direct normal irradiations (DNI) annually. In addition, that encourages further study via applying large-scale in the form of CPV power plants.

Study on thermo-electrical performance of spray-cooled concentrating photovoltaic system using oleic acid modified nanofluid

In the utilization of solar photovoltaics, concentrated photovoltaic technology can effectively improve the efficiency of solar cells, but it is limited by the problems of contact thermal resistance and low thermal conductivity of working fluid in cooling technology. This article proposes a modified nanofluid spray cooling HCPV system, which not only overcomes the low heat carrying capacity of traditional working fluids, but also solves the problem of contact thermal resistance in the heat transfer process, further reducing the cell temperature to achieve higher heat transfer efficiency and electrical efficiency. At first, oleic acid (OA)-modified Al2O3 nanofluids (OA-Al2O3-H2O/C2H6O) were prepared. Otherwise, stability test methods and spray cooling heat transfer test benches were developed and built. Finally, the stability of nanofluids, the temperature field distribution and electrical efficiency of solar cells under high energy current density were tested, and the effects of flow rate and base-liquid ratio on system performance were analyzed. The results showed that: OA can keep Al2O3-H2O/C2H6O nanofluids more than 48 h, and the surface temperature is stable at 40 °C. Meanwhile, the electrical efficiency is always above 27 %, up to 29.37 % and 1.3 % higher than working fluid water.

A multi-model approach based on CARIMA-SARIMA-GPM for assessing the impacts of climate change on concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) potential

This research paper proposes a novel multi-model approach, integrating the CARIMA-SARIMA-GPM framework, to assess the combined impacts of climate change and land use change on the potential of concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) systems. By considering both climatic variables and land use patterns, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these factors influence CPV performance in the context of a changing environment. The proposed methodology offers valuable insights into the future viability and sustainability of CPV technology, enabling informed decision-making for policymakers, energy planners, and investors in the Middle East and Africa. As a result, the ability of the hybrid evolutionary CARIMA-SARIMA-GPM to predict the potential of CPV energy output for assessing the impacts of climate change on it was investigated in Alice Springs, the Middle East, and Africa. The outcome showed that the hybrid model significantly outperformed the other machine learning approaches. The fitted model was used to assess the potential impacts of climate change on CPV generation in Alice Springs, Australia, as well as the Middle East's and Africa's comparable climatic conditions. According to the study, climate change had the greatest impact on solar CPV energy production in Alice Springs, where it decreased the most by 8.577% under moderate forcing scenarios (SSP245) during the boreal summer season; moderately in the Middle East, where it decreased the mode by 2.316% under mitigation scenarios (SSP126) during the boreal summer season; and extremely minimally in Africa, where it decreased the mode by 1.263% under the far future sequencing period (2051–2099). Climate change also increased solar CPV energy production significantly in the Middle East in the far future sequencing period (2051–2099), as well as in Alice Springs, Australia, and Africa in the near future sequencing period (2015–2050). The strongest forcing scenario (SSP585) increased by 7.644% during the boreal autumn season in Africa; moderately increased by 6.502% during the boreal spring season in the Middle East; and had the least beneficial effects in Alice Springs, Australia, with increases of 5.538% during the boreal winter season. On an annual basis, all three regions showed a similar trend. Climate change (CLC) and urban expansion (URE) were also investigated in the Middle East and Africa for their effects on changes in solar CPV energy output. URE had a greater impact in Africa than the Middle East under the effective scenario, with a URE value of 45.45% for Africa and 20.15% for the Middle East, whereas CLC had a greater impact in the Middle East than Africa, with a CLC value of 29.01% compared to 5.47% for Africa. CLC and CPV residual factors, on the other hand, have a greater impact in the Middle East than in Africa, with effects of 29.01% and 50.83%, respectively, compared to 5.47% and 49.09%. The potential difference that drives the remediation of specific pollutants lies in the application of advanced technologies and sustainable practices. By exploring innovative solutions, such as using renewable energy sources like concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) systems, we can effectively mitigate the impacts of climate change and land use changes on pollutant concentrations. These technologies have the potential to significantly reduce pollution levels and create a cleaner and healthier environment for future generations. Assessing the CPV potential in different regions like Alice Springs, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa allows us to identify areas with high solar energy resources that can be harnessed for efficient pollutant remediation. Implementing prompt climate mitigation and adaptation measures is crucial for achieving a net-zero energy transition in the Middle East and Africa by 2050. In this context, prioritizing solar energy as the primary source of renewable energy is imperative for successful low-carbon economic planning in these regions.

Tracking-Integrated CPV Technology: State-of-the-Art and Classification

Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology offers an alternative to conventional photovoltaic systems, focusing on the concentration of solar radiation through the optics of the system onto smaller and more efficient solar cells. CPV technology captures direct radiation and requires precise module orientation. Traditional CPV systems use robust and heavy solar trackers to achieve the necessary alignment, but these trackers add to the installation and operating costs. To address this challenge, tracking-integrated CPV systems have been developed, eliminating the need for conventional trackers. These systems incorporate tracking mechanisms into the CPV module itself. This review presents a detailed classification of existing designs in the literature and provides an overview of this type of system with different approaches to integrated tracking including tracking concentrator elements, using external trackers, or employing internal trackers (the most researched). These approaches enable the automatic adjustment of the CPV system components to follow the movement of the Sun. The various tracking-integrated systems have different designs and performance characteristics. Significant progress has been made in developing tracking-integrated CPV systems with the aim to make CPV technology more competitive and expand its applications in markets where traditional CPV has been excluded.

Optical Developments in Concentrator Photovoltaic Systems—A Review

Energy needs have increased with global advancements and industrial revolutions. Electrical energy utilization shares a huge amount of energy with residential and industrial loads. Traditional energy resources are expensive and polluting, producing greenhouse gasses, which is a major environmental concern. Solar energy utilization is a cost-effective, sustainable, and green solution to meet the ongoing energy demand. Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems are developed for energy conversion by providing high efficiency using multi-junction solar cells. This paper provides an overview of the recent optical developments in CPV systems and emerging technologies that are likely to shape the future of CPV systems. The objective of this article is to provide an overview of the issues that need to be resolved to improve the geometrical concentration, acceptance angle, uniformity, and optical efficiency of CPV systems. A comprehensive comparison is also presented on different types of solar concentrators. In addition, future research directions are presented to facilitate the continued growth and success of CPV systems. Furthermore, this review article gives an up-to-date and widespread overview of CPV technology, assesses its potential for various applications, and distinguishes the challenges and opportunities for future research and development.

Static Concentrator Photovoltaics Module for Electric Vehicle Applications Based on Compound Parabolic Concentrator

Electric vehicles (EVs) and photovoltaics (PVs) are new technologies that will play an important role in the transportation industry over the next decade. Using solar panels on the roofs of cars is one of the simplest ways to reduce fuel costs and increase the mobility of electric vehicles. Solar electric cars can be charged anywhere under the Sun without additional infrastructure, but the problem is the size of the solar panel is limited on the roof and the electricity conversion efficiency of the panel is only 15% to 20%. This means they will not provide significant electricity to EVs. An effective way to increase efficiency is to utilize multi-junction solar cells with concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology. The challenge is that the moving sun-tracking mechanism will reduce the stability of the vehicle structure. To solve this issue, in this research, we present a static concentrator photovoltaic system for electric vehicles. This structure is more stable and simpler than CPV systems using sun-tracking mechanisms and thus suitable for car roof application. The CPV system includes solid compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs), three-junction solar cells, and a crystalline Si cell panel. This structure allows for the manufacture of a static CPV with a geometrical concentration ratio of 4× for three-junction cells. The simulation results showed that the module can achieve 25% annual efficiency. Moreover, it can be flexible to meet the requirements of car roof application.

Array of micro multijunction solar cells interconnected by conductive inks

Micro-concentrator photovoltaics (micro-CPV) consists of the reduction in size of the components of the conventional concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology, attaining equally high efficiencies and reducing material costs and manufacturing costs. In this publication we focus on the implementation of high throughput manufacturing methods for the interconnection of solar cells. The goal is to enable large area interconnection of thousands of micro-solar cells with a low cost of 3 €/m 2 . A first prototype was manufactured, interconnecting multiple 1 mm 2 solar cells via directly printing onto the front contact pads. The result is a glass substrate, with a size of 190 × 145 mm 2 , with a fully printed circuit interconnecting 12 rows each containing 11 multijunction solar cells in parallel. The fill factor ( FF ) of the full board is 76% at 214 suns. • High throughput interconnection method for of micro-CPV solar cells on a large area. • Expensive wire bonding is avoided by directly printing onto the contacts of micro-solar cells. • The goal is to enable large area interconnection of thousands of micro-solar cells with a low cost of 3€/m 2 . • 132 1 mm 2 solar cells were interconnected on a glass substrate of 190 × 145mm 2 in dimension. • An overall fill-factor of 76% was achieved for the full board and single cells on the board reached 83% at 200 suns.

Comparative study on cooling method for concentrating photovoltaic system

Concentrating photovoltaic technology has been one of the important technologies among renewable energy technologies. Researchers have used one or more cooling methods to increase the output power by cooling the CPV cells. In this work, CPV systems with three typical cooling methods of air cooling, water cooling and heat pipe cooling have been comparatively studied. An Outdoor experiment was conducted under the same environmental conditions. The pump power loss factor was considered to evaluate the thermal and electrical performance of the three systems. The experimental results indicate that the average temperatures of the finned heatsink, water cooling module, and heat pipe during the test are 41 °C, 25.9 °C and 22.2 °C, respectively. The CPV cell with heat pipe cooling method exhibits the highest output power of 8.27 W. When the pump consumption is considered, the water-cooled CPV cell can provide the highest net electrical efficiency of 28.3% and electrical exergy efficiency of 30.4%. In addition, a thermal-electrical coupling model was established to investigate the effects of different parameters, such as inlet fluid temperature, mass flow rate and concentration ratio on CPV system. The results can provide some practical guidelines for the design and application of practical CPV cooling systems.

Embodied Energy and Cost Assessments of a Concentrating Photovoltaic Module

This paper focuses on the embodied energy and cost assessments of a static concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) module in comparison to the flat photovoltaic (PV) module. The CPV module employs a specific concentrator design from the Genetically Optimised Circular Rotational Square Hyperboloid (GOCRSH) concentrators, labelled as GOCRSH_A. Firstly, it discussed previous research on life cycle analyses for PV and CPV modules. Next, it compared the energy embodied in the materials of the GOCRSH_A module to the energy embodied in the materials of a flat PV module of the same electrical output. Lastly, a comparison in terms of cost is presented between the analysed GOCRSH_A module and the flat PV module. It was found that the GOCRSH_A module showed a reduction in embodied energy of 17% which indicates a reduction in embodied carbon. In terms of cost, the costs for the GOCRSH_A module were calculated to be 1.71 times higher than the flat PV module of the same electrical output. It is concluded that a trade-off is required between the embodied energy and cost impacts in order to bring this CPV technology into the market.

Techno‐economic analysis of a hybrid solar‐geothermal power plant integrated with a desalination system

This paper proposes the use of a hybrid 5 MW power generation system combining concentrated solar thermal and solar photovoltaic technology where the efficiency of the power block is increased by taking advantage of hot water from a low-temperature geothermal source. Aiming at a case study for Winton in Queensland the pertinent meteorological data are used for our simulations. In addition, the paper analyzes the feasibility of including a thermal desalination technology that uses the waste heat from the power block for producing clean water from wastewater. Our design replaces the traditional dry cooling system with a water-cooled heat exchanger to remove the waste heat from the power block. Finally, this work explores the ratio of concentrated solar thermal and photovoltaic electricity production that optimizes the levelized cost of electricity and water production. the results indicate that the incorporation of the desalination system does not produce a significant increase in this value, and the optimal ratio of electricity production is obtained when the photovoltaic system contributes to 27.5% of the total electricity generation. Our water production cost can be as low as 40 ₵/m3 while for the combined system our minimum levelized cost of electricity figures out at 12.4 ₵/kWh to generate the base load with thermal storage.

Three‐junction monolithic interconnected modules for concentrator photovoltaics

AbstractA core issue in concentrator photovoltaic technology (CPV) is the resistive losses in cells that usually limits the maximum photoconversion efficiency under high concentration. We propose the use of three‐junction monolithic interconnected modules (MIM) to mitigate resistive losses by providing high‐voltage low‐current power. First, we present the fabrication of InGaP/InGaAs/Ge front‐contacted microcells with various designs and dimensions. Front‐contacted cells are the key enabler for the MIM fabrication and demonstrate good electrical characteristics under one sun, similar to standard‐contacted cells. The base front contact size is minimized to limit the unutilized area on the wafer. Second, fabrication techniques for interconnecting cells in MIM are described. Finally, electrical measurements show a record conversion efficiency of 35.1% under 798 suns for the first three‐junction MIM reported (17.8% when considering the entire device area). Versatility and further optimization of the devices are discussed to enlarge their field of application.

The CPV “Toolbox”: New Approaches to Maximizing Solar Resource Utilization with Application-Oriented Concentrator Photovoltaics

As the scaling of silicon PV cells and module manufacturing has driven solar energy penetration up and costs down, concentrator photovoltaic technologies, originally conceived as a cost-saving measure, have largely been left behind. The loss of market share by CPV is being locked in even as solar energy development encounters significant obstacles related to space constraints in many parts of the world. The inherently higher collection efficiency enabled by the use of concentrators could substantially alleviate these challenges, but the revival of CPV for this purpose requires substantial reinvention of the technology to actually capture the theoretically possible efficiency gains, and to do so at market-friendly costs. This article will discuss recent progress in key areas central to this reinvention, including miniaturization of cells and optics to produce compact, lightweight “micro-CPV” systems; hybridization of CPV with thermal, illumination and other applications to make use of unused energy streams such as diffuse light and waste heat; and the integration of sun-tracking into the CPV module architecture to enable greater light collection and more flexible deployment, including integration into built structures. Applications showing particular promise include thermal applications such as water heating, industrial processes and desalination; agricultural photovoltaics; building-integrated photovoltaics with dynamic daylighting capabilities; and chemical processes including photocatalysis and hydrogen production. By appropriately tailoring systems to the available solar resource and local energy demand, we demonstrate how CPV can finally achieve real-world efficiencies, or solar resource utilization factors, far higher than those of standard silicon-based PV systems. This makes the argument for sustained development of novel CPV designs that can be applied to the real-world settings where this efficiency boost will be most beneficial.

A highly-efficient concentrated perovskite solar cell-thermoelectric generator tandem system

Comparing to single PSC, concentrated PSC-TEG tandem system achieves higher efficiency and stability, since the TEG can effectively convert the excess infrared thermal energy into electricity. • Firstly demonstrate a PSC-based concentrated PV-TEG tandem system. • Detailed analysis on PSC-TEG tandem system under various solar conditions. • Reach the peak efficiency of 25.0% for PSC-TEG tandem system under 3 suns. Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) has been identified as an effective method to further enhance the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. Previous studies on CPV mainly focused on III-V multi-junction cells. Nevertheless, III-V CPV technology is mainly used in niche applications due to its high cost. Here, we use metal-halide perovskite solar cell (PSC) to demonstrate a concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric tandem device. The thermoelectric generator (TEG) is utilized to reduce the effect of heat generation under concentrated solar irradiance. Our tandem system achieved a peak power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 25.0% at a solar concentration of 3 suns. This efficiency exceeded that of the single PSC by ~4.7%. Our work proves that by controlling the heat flow in concentrated PSC-TEG tandem system, the redundant heat produced by upper PSC can be effectively reused. This tandem structure provides a promising approach to improve the efficiency and stability of PSC under low-concentrated solar irradiation.

Experimental and simulation investigations of CPV/TEG hybrid system

Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology is a leading approach for increasing the utilization and deployment of PV systems. A major disadvantage is the need for cooling to maintain the performance of the solar cell. Active cooling is power-consuming and complex. A proposed passive cooling subsystem, uses a thermoelectric generator (TEG), besides cooling the solar cell, it generates power from waste heat. Three TEG modules with different sizes and numbers of junctions were tested. The performance of the TEGs was simulated using the finite element method and heat transfer analysis. The simulated model was validated for each TEG against the manufacturer datasheet and demonstrated good agreement between the simulated and measured performances. A CPV/TEG hybrid system was investigated experimentally and compared with the obtained simulation results. The proposed system was proven to deliver a net electrical power higher than obtained using the CPV system only. Compared to only a CPV cell on top of a heat sink, the generated power of the CPV/TEG hybrid system increased by 7.4%, 5.8%, and 3% corresponding to using the 30×30mm2, 40×40mm2 and the 62×62mm2 TEG modules, for which the number of junctions are 31, 127 and 49, respectively.

Performance evaluation of a high concentrator photovoltaic integrating a Fresnel lens in Saudi Arabia: A case study

SummarySaudi Arabia has plentiful freely accessible solar energy with daily total Direct Normal Irradiance on the higher side. Furthermore, because of its extensive desert land with over 2 million km2 expanse and high clearance index, the country could be a successful contender for accommodating the High Concentrator Photovoltaic (HCPV) technology. This technology, which assimilates Fresnel lens, has drawn more attention particularly after presenting III‐V Multi‐Junction solar cells for terrestrial uses since they keep achieving new conversion efficiency accomplishments. This article evaluates the HCPV performance in Saudi Arabia using direct normal irradiance data gathered in recent times. To undertake this assessment, a validated developed optical simulation using a ray‐tracing technique is employed to evaluate the maximum and average power output that may be gathered using a single HCPV unit in the primary regions and cities in the nation. Results indicate that the highest values for average and maximum annual power yield belong to the Western Inland area with one HCPV unit having a Fresnel lens with a 0.25×0.25 m2 aperture area, and those values are over 36 and 59 kWh, respectively. Concerning cities, Tabuk has HCPV unit producing the highest average annual yield greater than 39 kWh while the maximum annual yield crosses 60 kWh. Hence, the yearly electrical energy yield of 194 such units that use an area less than 12.2 m2 corresponds to approximately 33% of the electricity demanded yearly by a typical home in Saudi Arabia, which includes heavy energy‐consuming devices like air conditioners. Additionally, the estimated pollution potentially displaced by these units as per the global warming potential indicator is around eight tons of CO2 annually.

Impact of microchannel heat sink configuration on the performance of high concentrator photovoltaic solar module

Concentrating photovoltaic technology is growing rapidly among other solar energy technologies, as it reaches an electrical conversion efficiency up to 46%. The solar cell temperature increases during the conversion process, which in turn negatively affects the system’s performance by decreasing its efficiency. Thus, for safe and efficient operation, low and uniform temperature should be achieved. In this work, numerical simulations were completed to study and compare two microchannel heat sink designs as cooling devices for a high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) system. ANSYS Fluent software was employed to solve three-dimensional conjugate heat transfer equations. The comparison was conducted under uniform solar radiation with a concentration ratio of 1000 suns (1 sun = 1000 W/m2) and a wide range of coolant inlet flowrate. The impact of heat sink design and coolant inlet flowrate variation were studied and highlighted regarding average cell temperature, electrical efficiency, temperature non-uniformity, and local temperature distribution. The results showed that heat sink design has a remarkable impact on the cooling performance of the HCPV/Thermal system. Whereas, configuration 1 achieved a lower average cell temperature by 11% than configuration 2, while the electrical efficiency was increased by 1.4%, at the minimum studied flowrate.

Photovoltaic Concentration: Research and Development

Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) technology, by using efficient optical elements, small sizes and high efficiency multi-junction solar cells, can be seen as a bright energy source to produce more cost-effective electricity. The main and basic idea is to replace the use of expensive solar cells with less expensive optical elements made from different materials. This paper aims to give to the readers a rapid and concise overview of CPV and the main characteristics to be considered when designing a CPV system. It reviews the main optical configurations presented in the literature, their advantages and drawbacks, as well as the recent progress in the concentration ratio and the major performances achieved in the field. The paper considers the more recent works, their optical designs, as well as their optical and electrical performances. It also relates the major achievements on the industrial side with the major milestones in CPV developments.

A Forecasting-Based Control Algorithm for Improving Energy Managment in High Concentrator Photovoltaic Power Plant Integrated with Energy Storage Systems

The High Concentrator Photovoltaic (HCPV) technology, due to its high efficiency, is considered one of the most promising solutions for the exploitation of sun-irradiation-based Renewable Energy Sources (RES). Nevertheless, the HCPV production is strictly connected to the Direct Normal Irradiation (DNI) making this photovoltaic technology more sensible to cloudiness than traditional ones. In order to mitigate the power intermittence and improve production programmability, the integration between Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) and HCPV, resorting to forecasting algorithms, has been investigated. Specifically, a local weather forecasting algorithm has been used for estimating the daily time evolution of DNI, air Temperature (T), Wind Speed (WS), and Air Mass (AM). These data are subsequently processed by means of an accurate HCPV model for the estimation of one day-ahead daily power production profile. The processing of HCPV forecasted generation by means of a properly tuned filter-based algorithm allows one day-ahead the definition of power profiles of ESS and power plant respectively, considering also the ESS constraints and the characteristic of the implemented real-time control algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed forecasting model and control algorithm is verified through a simulation study referring to the solar power plant constituted by HCPV and ESS installed in Ottana, Italy. The results highlight that the application of the proposed approach lessens the power fluctuation effect caused by HCPV generation preserving the batteries at the same time. The feasibility and advantages of the proposed approach are finally presented.

Balancing the shading impact in utility-scale dual-axis tracking concentrator photovoltaic power plants

Nowadays, the growth of concentrator photovoltaic technology is limited because of a levelised cost of energy higher than conventional photovoltaic technologies. For this reason, the new concentrator photovoltaic power plants need to be optimised in all their aspects. The existing studies on optimum layout and tracker spacing for these plants have not delved deeply into this complex issue. In this paper, a concentrator photovoltaic power plant model that takes into account the main factors influencing the energy generation, including self-shading between sun trackers, is developed and, an approach based on balancing the revenue loss due to shading with wiring and land costs is proposed. Different climatic conditions, technical and, economic parameters are analysed to find optimal configurations. The results indicate that the ground cover ratio decreases with increasing annual direct normal irradiation and increasing latitude. Apart from these, the main factors influencing the optimum layout are in order of importance: land cost, revenue per generated kWh, CPV module efficiency, nominal string voltage, tracker aspect ratio, wiring cost, angle of rotation of the plant and, plant X displacement. We found rhomboid configurations better than rectangular and checkerboard in three out of five analysed cases.