Image Optimization for a Linear CPV System
Abstract
Linear Concentrating PhotoVoltaic systems mostly are solar troughs with parabolic profile. The advantage of this configuration is basically due to its simplicity of fabrication and of working principle. Solar trough collectors are usually employed in thermal applications using as absorber a metal pipe. When the receiver is a cell array, collection efficiency maximization must be combined to light distribution requirements of the PV cell. The trough system is simulated on the base on the experimentation realized on a prototype of solar CPV trough with parabolic profile. The paper examines the influence of mirror focal length, mirror deformation and absorber position on the light distribution over the receiver. The simulations show how large is the influence of some parameters on the total power collected by every single cell. The analysis is addressed to optimize a parabolic trough PV/thermal collector with a geometric concentration ratio around 150.