Optimisation of Concentrator in the Solar Photonic Optoelectronic Transformer: Comparison of Geometrical Performance and Cost of Implementation

The Solar Photonic Optoelectronic Transformer (SPOT) is one of the components of the SolarBrane, a Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system developed by SolarEmpower Ltd. The SPOT employs 2-D linear dielectric totally internally reflecting concentrator (DTIRC) to increase the collection efficiency of the sun’s rays and reduce the amount of photovoltaic (PV) material used. In this paper, an optimised DTIRC design for the SPOT, based on the maximum concentration method (MCM), is discussed. Next, the geometrical properties of the optimised DTIRC design are explained and compared to a DTIRC based on the phase conserving method (PCM). A cost analysis of implementing the MCM is also presented. The results obtained from simulations in MATLAB show that the MCM offers higher geometrical concentration gains and at the cost of increasing the concentrator size. The new optimised concentrator offers a lower cost of implementation, shorter payback period and an even higher annual return as compared to the existing design.