solar concentration
Solar energy is considered to play a key role in the alternative energy pie in the following years. One way to convert solar energy to electricity is through photovoltaics (PV). Photovoltaic energy generates electricity from solar radiation and, at present, represents one of the renewable energy sources emerging technologies due to the continuous cost reduction and technological progress. Our work focuses on PV tracking systems that track the sun throughout the day to increase the total beam radiation absorbed by the solar cells, thus the efficiency of the system. Most tracking systems use one or two axis to move the solar panel. Because of the size, the weight and the precise controls needed to track the sun, tracking systems have higher manufacturing cost compared to the non-tracking ones.
We are working on PV concentrators to use less solar cell material in a PV system. A concentrator makes use of relatively inexpensive materials, such as plastic lenses and metal housings, to capture the solar energy shining on a fairly large area and focus that energy onto a smaller area, where the solar cell is.
In our work we study a different modification of concentrating, tracking PV systems. Instead of moving the whole solar panel to track the sun, we investigate the linear movement of the solar cells alone that represent a small fraction of the total solar panel’s size and weight. Through this movement, solar cells track the concentrated solar beam that relocates throughout the day, because of the change of the incidence angle. The scope of our work is to find the overall efficiency of the system and compare the total cost and efficiency of the system with alternative solutions that already exist in the market.
Contact researchers: Nathan Stodola, nbs2115@columbia.edu
Panos Kotsidas, pk2252@columbia.edu