Fresnel-based Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) System with Uniform Irradiance

Different designs have been presented to achieve high concentration and uniformity for the concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) system. Most of the designs have issues of low efficiency in terms of irradiance uniformity. To this end, we present a design methodology to increase irradiance uniformity over solar cell. The system consists of an eight-fold Fresnel lens as a primary optical element (POE) and an optical lens, which consists of eight parts, as a secondary optical element (SOE). Sunlight is focused through the POE and then light is spread over cell through the SOE. In the design, maximum sunlight is passed over cell by minimizing losses. Results have shown that the proposed CPV design gives good irradiance uniformity. The concentration module based on this novel design is a promising option for the development of a cost-effective photovoltaic solar energy generation. Keywords—solar concentrator; nonimaging optics, Fresnel lens; uniform irradiance; solar energy