Development and Characterisation of a Low Concentrating Dielectric Photovoltaic Concentrator
Abstract
A prototype concentrating photovoltaic module is designed and constructed with dielectric asymmetric compound parabolic concentrator (DiACPC) for building integration in higher latitudes (>55o). The 5.5 Wp module is characterised in an outdoor environment in Edinburgh, UK (55oN, 3oW). The dielectric concentrator of geometrical concentration ratio 2.8 is manufactured from clear polyurethane material with a maximum transmission of 89.5% within the visible range. The stationary concentrator is designed to collect radiation within the range of incidence angles 0o to 55o, to correspond with the seasonal variation of altitude angle at higher latitudes. A maximum electrical power output of 4.3W from the CPV system is measured for solar irradiance 865 Wm-2. Compared to the similar non-concentrating counterpart, a maximum of 2.3 times increase in power is observed. The optical losses within the concentrating system have limited the maximum power ratio to the 84% of the designed concentration ratio 2.8. The optical losses and manufacturing defect has been investigated for detail analysis of the variation of power output for different sun position and change in intensities over a day.