'''''Measuring Intensity in Suns:''''' Intensity of sunlight illuminating on PV cells are measured as 'Suns'. 'One Sun' is amount of energy drawn to an object openly exposed out on a cloudless day which is approximately 100 watts per square foot.
'''''Measuring Intensity in Suns:''''' Intensity of sunlight illuminating on PV cells are measured as 'Suns'. 'One Sun' is amount of energy drawn to an object openly exposed out on a cloudless day which is approximately 100 watts per square foot.
'''Link directly to [[Low level concentration for PV applications literature review]]'''
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Wikipedia : Concentrator photovoltaic systems employ curved reflectors such as lenses and mirrors to focus incoming sun rays onto the solar cells to harvest solar energy with more efficiency measured as watt-peak Wp. They are often equipped with single or dual-axis solar trackers and cooling systems that promote dual-way power generation. Based on the intensities measured in number of suns, CPV systems are classified as Low concentration PV, High concentration PV, Medium concentration PV and Luminescent solar concentrators.
This idea of concentrating sun's rays date back to 212 B.C.The famous Greek inventor Archimedes used mirrors, later called as burning mirrors, to set enemy ships at blaze. Concentrators/reflectors use principles of optics (focal point) to concentrate sunlight onto Solar cells.
Low concentration PV systems can be illuminated with intensities less than 20 suns [1] which can be varied up to 100 suns. LCPV systems eliminate the need of complex cooling systems and are often facilitated with booster reflectors. LCPV systems doesn't require active tracking mechanisms due to wide acceptance angles [2]. These can sufficed with single-axis tracking system yet maintaining 35-40% increased power output. The reflected radiation incident on these modules depends on the clearness of the index of the location [3][4] and thus they are more effective when installed where direct radiation is a significant percentage of the global radiation South Europe, Northern Africa, Southern states of the USA, etc.).
Measuring Intensity in Suns: Intensity of sunlight illuminating on PV cells are measured as 'Suns'. 'One Sun' is amount of energy drawn to an object openly exposed out on a cloudless day which is approximately 100 watts per square foot.
Concept of Reflectors-Concentrators
The main features of reflectors are high reflectance, low scattering and low degradation i.e., loss of reflectance over time.
The Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) is a nonimaging optical-design concept that allows maximum concentration of incident energy onto a receiver. This design incorporates a trough-like reflecting wall by which radiation is concentrated to the maximum allowed by physical principles of optics.
Uses a ray-tracing method to design and optimize three stationary dielectric asymmetric compound parabolic concentrators (DiACPCs) with acceptance half-angles of (0°/55°), (0°/66°) and (0°/77°), respectively to optimize in order to optimize the designs of concentrator applications in northern latitudes (>55 °N)
Concludes that Energy flux distribution at the receiver for diffuse radiation is found to be homogeneous
Solar tracking systems are actuator devices employed to concentrate reflectors towards the Sun's direction. Concentrators should be able to direct the sunlight precisely onto solar cells with the aid of these devices. Single axis systems can turn the panels around the centre axis while Dual axis tracking is used to position a mirror and concentrate incoming radiation along a fixed axis towards a stationary receiver.
↑A. L. Luque and A. Viacheslav, Eds., "Concentrator Photovoltaics," vol. 130. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2007.(Chapter: 1 and 6). ISBN: 978-3-540-68796-2