Study on Enhancing the Acceptance Angle of Edge-Absorbed Concentrated Photovoltaic System(2/2)

Conventional concentrated photovoltaic systems (CPVs) encounter the issues of large size, low tolerances for assembly and alignment, etc. To overcome such issues, the solar cell can be located at the sides of the concentrators to form an edge-absorbed concentrated photovoltaic system (ECPV). However, due to the low acceptance angle, the applications of the ECPV are limited. In this project, we proposed two kinds of devices to enlarge the acceptance angle of the ECPV: one is angle-varied V-groove arrays on a planar concentrator, while the other is a micro-optical sheet.In the first year of this project, we will develop a planar and reflective concentrator, whose bottom-surface will be designed as the angle-varied V-groove arrays. The angle variation of V-groove arrays leads to not only the enlarged design freedom but also the broadened acceptance angle. Such a planar concentrator will be fabricated and then integrated with solar cells to realize the ECPV for the demonstration and measurement. .In the second year, we will design a micro-optical sheet, including cylindrical lens arrays and micro-reflector arrays to enhance the acceptance angle of ECPV. Then the fabricated sample will be assembled with the ECPV done in the first year for further enlarging the acceptance angle.This two-year research aims to broaden the acceptance angle of the ECPV. Additionally, the proposed designs have the merits of thin devices and facilitated processes in assembly andalignment. Thus, this research will contribute to expand the applications and the market of CPVs and bring about new ideas for the green-energy industry.