China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Modular Solar Energy Systems
Published in Yatish T. Shah, Modular Systems for Energy and Fuel Recovery and Conversion, 2019
Concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) (also known as concentration photovoltaics) is a PV technology that generates electricity from sunlight. Contrary to conventional PV systems, it uses lenses and curved mirrors to focus sunlight onto small, but highly efficient, multi-junction (MJ) solar cells. In addition, CPV systems often use solar trackers and sometimes a cooling system to further increase their efficiency. Ongoing research and development is rapidly improving their competitiveness in the utility-scale segment and in areas of high insolation. This sort of solar technology can be thus used in smaller areas.
Energy and Environment
Published in T.M. Aggarwal, Environmental Control in Thermal Power Plants, 2021
Concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) systems employ sunlight concentrated onto photovoltaic surfaces for the purpose of electricity generation. Thermoelectric, or “thermovoltaic” devices convert a temperature difference between dissimilar materials into an electric current.
Enhancement of concentrator photovoltaic system through convergent-divergent microchannels
Published in Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A: Applications, 2023
Mohammad Ghorbani, Masoume Rahimi, Younes Pahamli
In recent years, harnessing the solar energy potential has led to many applications, including electricity generation in batteries and photovoltaic (PV) systems, house/water heating, solar cooker, and so on. Sun creates two main types of energy, light and heat which provides the source of energy for the named applications. Solar energy can be directly or indirectly converted into other forms of energy, including heat and electricity [1]. There are two primary methods for electricity generation from sunlight: one is using solar heaters and the other is using photovoltaic solar panels [1]. In photovoltaic systems, by employing solar cell as solar modules, direct generation of electricity from solar radiation is achievable. Photovoltaic systems are one of the most widely used applications in novel energy systems [2]. Unlike conventional photovoltaic systems, concentrated photovoltaics use convex lenses or mirrors to focus sunlight on a small, high-efficiency, multi-junction solar cells. Nevertheless, the high density of concentrated photovoltaics increases the cell temperature, lowers the electricity production rate, and consequently leads to the reduction of system efficiency and system degradation [3]. Diverse cell cooling techniques are employed to diminish the cell temperature and enhance the efficiency of the system, including active and passive cooling techniques [4].
A comparative experimental investigation of CPV with and without SOE
Published in International Journal of Green Energy, 2019
Nirat Patanasemakul, Pattana Rakkwamsuk, Surawut Chuangchote, Dhirayut Chenvidhya, Roongrojana Songprakorp, Krissanapong Kirtikara
Concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) use optical elements, i.e. lens or mirrors, to concentrate beam solar radiation into a small area, thus allowing the use of small and high efficiency PV cells, e.g. compound (III-V) PV cells, the efficiency of which can be as high as 40% under concentration (King, Boca, and Hong 2009). Therefore, CPV systems could be more efficient than conventional flat panels. However, the efficiency of CPV in a module operation is drastically reduced to around 30%, especially in high concentration systems using the Fresnel lens. One of the main reasons is optical loss due to narrow acceptance angle of less than 1 ° (Akisawa, Hiramatsu, and Ozaki 2012).