Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Effect of Reflector Geometry in the Annual Received Radiation of Low Concentration Photovoltaic Systems

João Paulo N. Torres
* ORCID logo ,
Carlos A. F. Fernandes
,
João Gomes
,
Bonfiglio Luc
,
Carine Giovinazzo
,
Olle Olsson
,
P. J. Costa Branco
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 6 June 2018 / Approved: 6 June 2018 / Online: 6 June 2018 (14:15:35 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Torres, J.P.N.; Fernandes, C.A.F.; Gomes, J.; Luc, B.; Carine, G.; Olsson, O.; Branco, P.J.C. Effect of Reflector Geometry in the Annual Received Radiation of Low Concentration Photovoltaic Systems. Energies 2018, 11, 1878. Torres, J.P.N.; Fernandes, C.A.F.; Gomes, J.; Luc, B.; Carine, G.; Olsson, O.; Branco, P.J.C. Effect of Reflector Geometry in the Annual Received Radiation of Low Concentration Photovoltaic Systems. Energies 2018, 11, 1878.

Abstract

Solar concentrator photovoltaic collectors are able to deliver energy at higher temperatures for the same irradiances, since they are related to smaller areas for which heat losses occur. However, to ensure the system reliability, adequate collector geometry and appropriate choice of the materials used for all their components will be crucial. The present study focuses on the re-design of the C-PV collector reflector currently produced by the Swedish company Solarus AB, together with a comparative analysis based on the annual assessment of the solar irradiance in the collector. An open-source ray tracing code (Soltrace) is used to accomplish the modelling of optical systems in concentrating solar power applications. Symmetric parabolic reflector configurations are seen to improve the PV system performance when compared to the conventional structures currently used by Solarus. The parabolic geometries, using either symmetrically or asymmetrically placed receivers inside the collector, achieve both the performance and cost-effectiveness objectives: for almost the same area or costs, the new proposals for the PV system may be in some cases 70 % more effective as far as energy output is concerned.

Keywords

C -PV solar systems, MaReCo, ray-tracing, reflector design, Soltrace.

Subject

Engineering, Energy and Fuel Technology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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