Parabolic Trough Concentrator Research Articles

Parabolic trough concentrator design, characterization, and application: solar wastewater purification targeting textile industry dyes and pharmaceuticals—techno-economic study

AbstractSolar energy, along with other renewable resources, has the potential to be a major contributor to solving environmental issues in the future, as illustrated by the most recent advancements in solar photocatalytic technology. Indeed, wastewater treatment using a parabolic solar collector for industrial processes is gaining ground owing to improved system performance and economic benefits. The fabricated parabolic trough collector (PTC) incorporates reflective, parabolic panels that focus solar energy onto a transparent tube positioned along the parabolic focal line, where solar-powered photochemical reactions occur. This study investigated the design, implementation, and effectiveness of a concentrated sunlight system for removing industrial dyes and emerging large-use pharmaceutical contaminants in the presence of H2O2 at a small demonstrator scale (10 L/h). A spectrophotometric assessment revealed that subjecting Remazol Brilliant Blue (RBB, 60 ppm) and ciprofloxacin (CIP, 10 ppm) to irradiation in the presence of 0.1 M H2O2 (RBB) or 0.01 M H2O2 (CIP) for 3 h resulted in a degradation rate exceeding 60% and 80%, respectively. Furthermore, the total organic content (TOC) analysis indicates a very high total removal yield for RBB. On these bases, a techno-economic analysis is produced, and economic viability is discussed. The data reveal that the annual costs for water treatment, considering investment, electricity, and catalyst expenses over a 12-month period are significantly lower for our PTC-based prototype than for a comparable artificial UV-based equipment.

Performance of a solar parabolic trough concentrator using vacuum linear V-shaped cavity receiver

The popularity of renewable energy is on the rise as fossil fuel resources continue to deplete and environmental pollution levels increase. Consequently, enhancing the performance of renewable energy systems has become a compelling subject of research. This study introduces an innovative structure, the Linear Cavity Receiver (LCR), as a receiver for solar Parabolic Trough Concentrators (PTCs). Notably, this novel structure incorporates a vacuum V-shaped LCR, marking a pioneering achievement worldwide. By adopting this configuration, the solar system’s thermal efficiency is enhanced through the reduction of heat losses. The results confirmed the superiority of the vacuum V-shaped LCR over a non-vacuum receiver in optimizing the performance of the solar PTC system. It was found that the vacuum linear V-shaped cavity receiver exhibited superior efficiency for larger cavity tube diameters, higher inlet temperatures, and lower volume flow rates. Moreover, this study showed that decreasing the cavity tube diameter, increasing solar radiation, reducing the working fluid (WF)’s inlet temperature, and raising the volume flow rate contribute to an increase in both cavity heat gain and the solar system’s thermal efficiency. It can be concluded that the thermal efficiency of the solar system was about 72.24 %, 71.6 %, and 69.9 % for cavity tube diameters 5 mm, 10 mm, and 25 mm, respectively. These findings hold great significance in the design of power-generating PTC systems, ensuring their optimal efficiency. Also, the results of this study can be used to improve energy governance by using more efficient thermal power systems.

Proposal of a parabolic-trough-oriented photo-thermo-reactor with coaxial baffles and dual-bed for high-efficient solar-driven hydrogen production from methanol steam reforming

A novel tubular photo-thermo-reactor with coaxial baffles and dual (photo-thermo- and thermo-) catalyst beds is proposed, integrated with the commercially-mature parabolic trough concentrators (EuroTrough ET-100 model) with high scalability for high-efficient H2 production from solar-driven methanol steam reforming. The optical-flow-thermal-chemical multiphysics coupled model, which incorporates the experimental data of photo-thermo-catalytic reaction kinetics, have been established to optimize the geometric and operational conditions of the proposed reactor. It is demonstrated that the systematic solar hydrogen production efficiency up to 21.2% considering the pumping power and the solar-to-hydrogen efficiency up to 30.6 % without considering the energy cost have been achieved in the best case. The reason for the excellent performance is two-fold. On the one hand, the existence of coaxial baffles guides multiple penetrations of the gaseous reactants through the catalyst beds thus guarantees sufficient contact between them. On the other hand, the design of coaxial dual-bed guarantees cascaded utilizations of both photo-thermo-catalysis and thermo-catalysis thus realizes higher utilization efficiency of full-spectrum solar energy. Considering the compatibility to the commercially-mature optical concentrator, this work exemplifies a practically promising route of effective full-spectrum solar-to-chemical conversion.

Preliminary insights on the development of a continuous-flow solar system for the photocatalytic degradation of contaminants of emerging concern in water.

The ubiquity and impact of pharmaceuticals and pesticides, as well as their residues in environmental compartments, particularly in water, have raised human and environmental health concerns. This emphasizes the need of developing sustainable methods for their removal. Solar-driven photocatalytic degradation has emerged as a promising approach for the chemical decontamination of water, sparking intensive scientific research in this field. Advancements in photocatalytic materials have driven the need for solar reactors that efficiently integrate photocatalysts for real-world water treatment. This study reports preliminary results from the development and evaluation of a solar system for TiO2-based photocatalytic degradation of intermittently flowing water contaminated with doxycycline (DXC), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), dexamethasone (DXM), and carbendazim (CBZ). The system consisted of a Fresnel-type UV solar concentrator that focused on the opening and focal point of a parabolic trough concentrator, within which tubular quartz glass reactors were fixed. Concentric springs coated with TiO2, arranged one inside the other, were fixed inside the quartz reactors. The reactors are connected to a raw water tank at the inlet and a check valve at the outlet. Rotating wheels at the collector base enable solar tracking in two axes. The substances (SMX, DXC, and CBZ) were dissolved in dechlorinated tap water at a concentration of 1.0mg/L, except DXM (0.8mg/L). The water underwent sequential batch (~ 3 L each, without recirculation) processing with retention times of 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120min. After 15min, the degradation rates were as follows: DXC 87%, SMX 35.5%, DXM 32%, and CBZ 31.8%. The system processed 101 L of water daily, simultaneously removing 870, 355, 256, and 318µg/L of DXC, SMX, DXM, and CBZ, respectively, showcasing its potential for real-world chemical water decontamination application. Further enhancements that enable continuous-flow operation and integrate highly effective adsorbents and photocatalytic materials can significantly enhance system performance.

A comparative study on optical and thermal performance of parabolic trough concentrator using a bundle of absorber tubes

Reorganizing the larger diameter receiver tube into a bundle of smaller diameter receiver tubes in regions of high solar flux density can enhance the thermal performance of the solar parabolic trough collector. The data that really is presently available in the literatures are studied. The parabolic trough concentrator's optical performance and the solar parabolic trough receiver thermal performance is 66.4% and 74.8% respectively. It is concluded from the comparative study that the use of the original receiver bundle (copper tube selective coating), has been ascertained, improving convective heat transfer coefficient, bringing down receiver tube surface temperature and increasing thermal performance, but the expense of raising friction coefficient and pumping power.

Numerical study on a novel solar-thermal-reaction system for clean hydrogen production of methanol-steam reforming

Renewable energy-driven hydrogen production methods offer a promising solution for mitigating energy crises. The present study introduces a new solar-driven hydrogen production system that within methanol steam reforming (MSR) process. The numerical analysis is carried out using a cylindrical Fresnel linear concentrator coupled with a solar thermal reactor (STR). A comprehensive kinetic model of the MSR reaction was constructed and combined with analytical methods based on Monte Carlo ray tracing methods and finite volume methods to analyze the multi-physical properties involved in the reaction process. The results indicate that a novel solar-driven MSR-STR system can generate a sufficient driving force after adjusting the concentrator structure and relative position to match the energy demand of the MSR reaction. The accuracy of the model is compared with the experimental values, and the average error is 7.8 %. Tracking error of the component should be maintained below 1.5° to ensure the optical efficiency. The annual hydrogen production was analyzed and the levelized cost of hydrogen is $1.77/kg. Finally, a comparison is presented between the proposed MSR-STR system and parabolic trough concentrator based MSR hydrogen production system to evaluate the feasibility of the former in terms of the economics of implementation.

Sensitivity analysis of the thermal performance of a parabolic trough concentrator using Al2O3 and SiO2/Vegetable oil as heat transfer fluid

This paper aims to highlight the use of different heat transfer fluid (HTF) configurations based on vegetable oils in Parabolic Trough Solar Concentrator (PTSC). Rapeseed and jatropha oils as innovative heat transfer materials combined with SiO2 and Al2O3 to obtain six (6) HTF configurations are used in a 1-dimensional PTSC model. The thermophysical properties of the nanofluids are determined from correlations derived from the literature, using Gauss-Seidel method from a numerical code developed in Matlab software. Model validation is obtained. Thermal sensitivity analysis shows that the use of rapeseed increases the thermal efficiency of the PTSC by around 4.21 % compared with jatropha. The use of nanofluids reduces thermal losses within the system due to thermal gradients. For a fixed irradiance and each 1 %–4 % increase in volume fraction, thermal efficiency increases by around 1.96 % when Al2O3/rapeseed is used and by 0.47 % when SiO2/rapeseed is used compared with rapeseed. Similarly, thermal efficiency increases by around 1.98 % when Al2O3/jatropha is used and decreases by around 0.20 % when SiO2/jatropha is used compared with jatropha. However, the positive effects of nanoparticles on thermal conductivity alone are not always sufficient to improve thermal efficiency, and thermal effects on heat capacity should also be considered.

Prediction of Circumsolar Irradiance and Its Impact on CSP Systems under Clear Skies

In this work, a model to estimate circumsolar normal irradiance (CSNI) for several half-opening angles under clear skies was developed. This approach used a look-up table to determine the model parameters and estimate CSNI for half-opening angles between 0.5° and 5°. To develop and validate the proposed model, data from five locations worldwide were used. It was found that the proposed model performs better at the locations under study than the models available in the literature, with relative mean bias error ranging from −13.94% to 0.70%. The impact of CSNI for these different half-opening angles on concentrating solar power (CSP) systems was also studied. It was found that neglecting CSNI could lead to up to a 7% difference between the direct normal irradiance (DNI) measured by a field pyrheliometer and the DNI that is captured by CSP systems. Additionally, a case study for parabolic trough concentrators was performed as a way to estimate the impact of higher circumsolar ratios (CSR) on the decrease of the intercept factor for these systems. It was also concluded that if parabolic trough designers aim to reduce the impact of CSNI variation on the intercept factor, then parabolic troughs with higher rim angles are preferred.

Performance investigation on a concentrating photovoltaic thermal system integrated with spectral splitter and absorption heat pump

To alleviate the energy consumption crisis and environmental pollutant problems, a concentrating photovoltaic thermal system integrated with spectral splitter and absorption heat pump is proposed. Through solar spectral splitting, the photo-electric and photo-thermal processes are decoupled, which facilitates the cogeneration of electricity and high-temperature heat. Through absorption heat pump, the temperature of geothermal energy is improved by high-temperature solar heat for subsequent utilization. Thus, the efficient utilization of full spectrum solar energy is achieved. To further evaluate the performances, an electric-thermal coupled model is developed and the comprehensive analysis is carried out from energy, exergy and exergoeconomic viewpoints. Results indicate that for an optical window of 400–1300 nm, strong LiBr/H2O solution concentration of 64 %, concentration difference of 5 % and thermal receiver temperature of 438.15 K, the overall energy and exergy efficiency is obtained about 102.14 % and 37.49 %, respectively. Among all components, parabolic trough concentrator is the most inefficient component with energy losses of 123.86 MWh. Highest exergy destruction is observed in the solar cell, accounting for 67.51 % of the total destruction. Moreover, a total exergoeconomic factor of 79.94 % is obtained for the entire system indicating that 20.06 % of the total costs are related to exergy destruction.

A Novel Design of Parabolic Trough Solar Collector's Absorber Tube

Abstract This paper proposes an investigation of a novel design of receiver absorber tube (circular-trapezoidal shaped) for PTC (Parabolic Trough Concentrator) system aiming at catching a part of the lost (reflected) solar rays due to effects related to the incidence angle deviation, and thus improving the PTC's thermal performance. Although they are always present in PTC, the effects of the deviation angle are often not considered in the literature. These effects are considered here in view of presenting a better and more useful focal area, the optimal circular-trapezoidal absorber tube shape being determined according to the maximal limit of the deviation angle that allows catching the maximum amount of solar rays. The corresponding model is established considering it as a two-dimensional problem and the derived deviation angle coefficient compared to that obtained for a traditional circular shaped tube. Moreover, the energy balance model is adapted to simulate the thermal efficiency of the considered tubes as a function of the deviation angle with some assumptions. The obtained results prove that from a deviation angle value of 0.1 degrees, the gain in efficiency becomes more significant; it can reach 5 % and even be higher for a deviation angle value of 0.5 degrees. Finally, Comsol Multiphysics software package was used to determine the pressure drops, temperature and velocity field distributions, considering a deviation angle value of 0.2 degrees. The results confirm that the proposed tube absorbs more heat than the traditional one.

Geometric characteristics and design optimization of parabolic trough concentrators with a flat mirror as the secondary reflector designed based on two components of a solar source

Parabolic trough concentrators with a tubular receiver (PTCs) are widely used for the production of solar thermal power. However, the geometric concentration ratio (CR) of PTCs falls short of thermodynamic concentration limit (C0) by a factor larger than π, and restricted by the angle subtended by solar sources (Δs = 2θa). To increase CR, a novel idea by dividing a solar source into two components in the open angle is proposed for the design of PTC equipped with a secondary reflector (SR), and PTC with a flat mirror (FM) is designed as a trial of the idea. For such design idea, rays incident at rims of primary parabolic reflector (PR) from one component (S1) are required to directly redirect onto on the absorber tube (AT) and those from another component (S2) are required to arrive on the AT after reflections from PR first then from FM. To investigate effects of the angular division factor (k) of solar sources (Δs2 = kΔs) and rim angle (ϕe) of PR on the effective CR (Cg), a mathematical procedure to characterize the geometry is suggested and examined by ray-tracing technique. The analysis shows that the geometry of PTC-FM is dependent on k, ϕe and θa, and a set of optimal k and ϕe for maximizing Cg can be obtained when θa is given. Calculation results show that the optimal k for maximizing Cg is 0.5 regardless of θa, but the optimal ϕe of PTC-FM for maximizing Cg, is sensitive to θa. As compared to conventional PTCs, the Cg of optimized PTC-FM is increased more than 80%, larger than 56.5% of C0, for k = 0.5 and θa < 1.0°. Empirical expressions for a quick estimation of optimal ϕe are also proposed based on numerical calculations. Results by ray-tracing analysis indicate that the optimal ϕe for maximizing CR and average solar concentration ratio are almost identical when the reflectivity of PR and FM is higher than 0.8. In principle, the novel idea is applicable for the design of other solar concentrators, therefore a further increase of Cg of PTCs is possible by using other imaging and non-imaging optics as the SR.

Influence of the Mirror Reflectance Coefficient on the Performance of the Compound Parabolic Trough Concentrator (CPC): Numerical and Experimental Simulation in a Sahelian Environment

The objective of our study is to numerically and experimentally simulate the CPC operation according to three different values of the mirror reflectance coefficient. The study not only showed the importance of mirror reflectance in the performance of solar collectors but also estimated which of these three values fits well with the reality in the city of Ouagadougou. The thermal exchanges that took place in the CPC were presented. A matlab program was developed for the calculation and simulation of the different parameters of the solar concentrator. The differential equations governing the heat transfers in the different components of the device were discretized by the advanced finite difference method. They were solved by the Gauss-Seidel method. As for the experimental part, it consisted in the direct measurement of the global solar radiation, of the ambient temperature and of the fluid temperature by means of thermocouples placed on the different parts of the sensor. The experimental values are directly recorded with a datalogger. A statistical study was made using some indicators like coefficient of determination of R2 , root mean square error (RMSE) and percentage of mean absolute error (MAPE). A validation of the obtained results by comparing the calculated values with the experimental values was presented. The results show that among the three values of the reflectance coefficient, the best results on the temperature of the fluid are obtained with the reflectance coefficient equal to 0.68 on the site of Ouagadougou.

Performance analyses of supercritical carbon dioxide-based parabolic trough collectors with double-glazed receivers

Supercritical carbon dioxide is becoming a hot research topic as a potential heat transfer fluid in parabolic trough concentrators since it enables operating the solar system at high temperatures for a higher quality of energy. However, the corresponding inflated thermal losses necessitate alternative receiver designs. This work examines four double-glazed receivers, with each annular space being evacuated or non-evacuated, in terms of the absorber tube's diameter (53–80 mm) and the diameter ratios of the two glass shells (1.2–2.0). An analytical model is developed and validated for this purpose, and the four designs are further examined using ground-level solar and meteorological measurements. The results demonstrate higher performance in the case of fully evacuating the receiver and using the smallest possible diameters of the three concentric cylinders, where the energy and exergy efficiencies reach 65.3 and 40.3%, respectively. Yet, evacuating only the inner annular space is sufficient to achieve virtually the same performance level. This energy efficiency decreases to 62% in case of increasing the tube diameter to 80 mm. As the operating temperature increases from 423 to 850 K, the specific thermal losses increase by 3.98–4.34 folds, depending on the receiver design. Double glazing the receivers is favorable only at high operating temperatures of sCO2, where the reduction in thermal losses overcomes the drop in optical efficiency. For an inlet sCO2 temperature of 850 K, thermal losses are reduced by 33.64 and 53.92%, compared to evacuated and non-evacuated single-glazed receivers, respectively. Throughout the year, the fully evacuated and fully non-evacuated double-glazed receivers have energy efficiencies of 54.96 and 52.39%, exergy efficiencies of 33.64 and 32.06%, and thermal losses of 348.8 and 402.5 W/m, respectively.

Numerical and experimental studies of thermal performance enhancement for parabolic trough solar collector using none-circulated CuO/synthetic oil nanofluid

PurposeOne of the existing and commonly used solar energy harvesting devices is the parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC). Because of their ability to operate in low and medium temperatures, parabolic trough concentrators are widely used in power generation plants and industrial process heating applications. Therefore, the investigation of how different operating conditions affect these devices’ overall efficiency has received a great deal of attention in the recent decade. This study aims to enhance the thermal performance of the PTSC and reduce the system cost.Design/methodology/approachIn the novel configuration, a noncirculated nanofluid absorbs solar radiation through a glass wall. The base fluid was synthetic oil (5W30), and the nanoparticles used were copper oxide. The heat captured is immediately absorbed by the water circulating inside the copper tube immersed in the nanofluid. ANSYS FLUENT 15.0 was used for carrying out computational fluid dynamics simulations for two models of single and triple copper tubes. The experimental results obtained from a test rig constructed for this purpose were compared with the numerical outcomes of the single copper tube model.FindingsThe findings of the simulation demonstrated that performance was superior for the single copper tube model over the triple copper tube model. The numerical findings of the single copper tube model were compared with the experimental results. The numerical and experimental results differed from 3.17% to 5.6%. Investigations were carried out to study the effects of varying the volumetric flow rate of (20, 40, 60 and 80 L/h) and water inlet temperatures of (300, 315 and 330 K) on the effectiveness and performance of the newly developed model. Additionally, two nanofluid volume fractions of 0.05% and 0.075% were used for investigating their effect on the performance of the novel configuration. According to the findings, the highest thermal efficiency of 55.31% was recorded at 0.075% concentration and 80 L/h volume flow rate.Originality/valueIn this study, a novel direct absorption solar collector configuration using a noncirculated nanofluid was designed to enhance the thermal efficiency of PTSC. This new approach makes it possible to boost the thermal performance of the PTSC and lower the system’s cost.

Design and thermodynamic analysis of an innovative parabolic trough photovoltaic/thermal system with film-based beam splitter

This study aims to find a feasible photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) utilization method based on film-based beam splitting technology. In contrast with previous studies, the main novelty of this paper is proposing the design of an innovative PV/T system using both parabolic trough concentrator (PTC) and film-based beam splitter (FBS). The design approach of the PV/T system is presented. A new FBS used for this PV/T system is designed by using the Needle method, and its average reflectivity and transmissivity are 27.2% and 72.8%. By using Ray Tracing and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation methods, the performance evaluation of the PV/T system is conducted. The evaluation results reveal that when the East-West sun tracking error is 0.2°, the optical efficiencies of the photovoltaic module and the solar thermal collector tube (TCT) can be kept at 95% and 93.9%. Moreover, when the heat transfer fluid (HTF) in the TCT is selected to be the ethylene glycol, the operation analysis results demonstrate that the photoelectric efficiency of the photovoltaic module is 25.4% and the thermal efficiency of the PV/T system is 17.24%. The thermal performance of the system can be improved when the HTF flow velocity is increased properly or when the inlet HTF temperature is decreased. The technical feasibility of the proposed PV/T system can be revealed from the analysis results of this study.

Pilot scale continuous-flow solar water disinfection system by heating and ultraviolet radiation inactivating Acanthamoeba cysts and Bacillus spores

The consumption of biologically unsafe water and the resulting consequences persist especially in developing countries marked by resource-poor environments. Solar disinfection (SODIS) systems are the next step to upgrade SODIS for public drinking water supply on a community scale. In the present study, a continuous-flow system of solar water disinfection based on heating and ultraviolet (UV) radiation was developed and tested against Acanthamoeba castellanii cysts (1.38 ×103 cysts/L) and spores of Bacillus altitudinis 1.4 (1.8 ×104 CFU/mL). The system consists of a linear Fresnel solar collector (divided into infrared (IR) and UV radiation collector parts) coupled to a parabolic trough concentrator containing heat absorbers and quartz reactors fixed at its aperture and focus. Rotating wheels fixed at the base of the collector allow solar tracking in two axes. An apparatus composed of a secondary and heating tanks, as well as a retention and discharge pipe, allows the raw water to be heated until it overflows (at 92 ± 3ºC), flowing afterwards through the quartz reactors and being irradiated by UV (for 25 – 45 s). The system inactivated A. castellanii cysts (> 3 log/L) and B. altitudinis1.4 spores (2 log/mL), mainly due to the effect of heat. The daily productivity was 1200 L (flow rate of 3 ± 0.2 L/min, for 8 h). The system has the potential to be applied in the supply of safe drinking water on a community scale, with the cost of water being €0.0008 or €0.0004 per liter, using the version of the system with or without the UV part, respectively.

Modelling and simulation of a 1 MWe parabolic trough concentrator solar thermal power plant in different locations in Egypt

Modelling and simulation of a 1 MWe parabolic trough concentrator solar thermal power plant in different locations in Egypt

Performance optimization of larger-aperture parabolic trough concentrator solar power station using multi-stage heating technology

Performance optimization of larger-aperture parabolic trough concentrator solar power station using multi-stage heating technology

Development and economic evaluation of a CPVT system with PHP cooling; An experimental study

In this paper, the experimental investigation of the performance of a concentrated hybrid photovoltaic thermal solar system is sought. Accordingly, there is a parabolic trough concentrator receiver that consists of three components: a triangular duct, photovoltaic cells covering the duct, and a three-turn PHP. The PHP cools down the photovoltaic cells efficiently and regenerates waste heat. The duct is filled with a heat transfer fluid surrounding the PHP’s evaporator. The condensation section of the PHP is located outside the solar concentrator. Using a one-axis polar mechanism, the concentrator tracks the sun from east to west. The system experiment setup was fabricated and tested outdoors in Tehran’s climate. Different heat transfer fluids, including Glycerine, Ethylene Glycol, and Calcium Chloride water mixture, were tested. Given the enhancement of PHP performance, a variety of working fluids were tested, including graphene oxide nanofluid/water, acetone, and pure water. The experiments showed that graphene oxide nanofluid/water mixture provided the highest thermal performance. With the use of graphene oxide nanofluid/water (as a working fluid) and glycerine (as heat transfer fluid), experiment results showed a decrease of 7.84 °C in PV temperature and a consequent increase of 21.85% in electrical efficiency in best condition. Furthermore, the provided cooling system recycles a maximum of is 190.4 kJ of thermal energy equivalent 52.5% thermal efficiency, increasing overall efficiency by 74.35%. Lastly, the IRR of 65.41%, PBT of 1.04 years, and LCOE of 1.84 $/kWh demonstrate appropriate financial profitability.

Experimental investigations of the microscale concentrated photovoltaic/thermal system based on a solar parabolic trough concentrator

The world’s electricity generation from photovoltaic systems has been growing significantly for the last two decades. Nowadays, one of the most interesting trends in the conversion of solar radiation is the use of concentrating solar power collectors. Among other well-known technologies, quite a new solution is concentrated photovoltaic thermal installations, which use photovoltaic panels as a power converter. This paper presents the experimental works carried out on the prototypical micro-scale parabolic-through solar concentrator equipped with monocrystalline silicon solar cells located on the hexagonal receiver tube. The main goal of these investigations was to determine the possibility of enhancing the efficiency of photovoltaic solar cells by placing them under concentrated solar radiation. Obtained results showed, that the maximum power of tested solar cells increased approx. 29% from 14.40 ±0.50We to 18.60 ±0.60We using concentrated sunlight in comparison to efficiency measured in direct sunlight. It was demonstrated that the use of solar radiation concentrators is justified in the case of solar installations, even with low concentration ratio factors.