Single stage transmission type broadband solar concentrator

Three-zone multifocus hybrid Fresnel lens concentrator

In this paper, we designed a three-zone multifocus hybrid Fresnel lens concentrator without a homogenizer. This concentrator uses three types of prisms: a refractive prism, a single total internal reflection (STIR) prism, and a double TIR (DTIR) prism. In order to achieve a uniform irradiance distribution, the Fresnel lens is cut into four quadrants and reconnected. Moreover, by decreasing the angle of the edge ray, the hot spot effects caused by the STIR and DTIR prisms can be reduced. Finally, the three-zone multifocus hybrid Fresnel lens concentrator can achieve a geometric concentration ratio of 2121X, f-number of 0.441, optical efficiency of 76.570%, acceptance angle of ±0.268^∘, uniformity of 57.002%, and hot spot criteria of 1.369.

Cassegrain-based concentrator with tailored mirrors

In this study, we design a Cassegrain-based concentrator with tailored mirrors. The proposed concentrator comprises a primary optical element (POE) and a secondary optical element (SOE). The POE is a parabolic concave mirror and the SOE is a hyperbolic convex mirror. In order to achieve uniform irradiance distribution without a homogenizer, the POE is tailored and tilted to generate a uniform distribution by overlapping the energy well. The Cassegrain-based concentrator with tailored mirrors can achieve a geometric concentration ratio of 1236×, a concentration ratio of 1034×, an optical efficiency of 83.66%, an acceptance angle of ±0.38^∘, a uniformity of 7.87, and an aspect ratio of 0.254.

High Concentration Photovoltaics (HCPV) with Diffractive Secondary Optical Elements

Multi-junction solar cells can be economically viable for terrestrial applications when operated under concentrated illuminations. The optimal design of concentrator optics in high concentration photovoltaics (HCPV) systems is crucial for achieving high energy conversion. At a high geometric concentration, chromatic aberration of the primary lens can restrict the optical efficiency and acceptance angle. In order to correct chromatic aberration, multi-material, multi-element refractive elements, hybrid refractive/diffractive elements, or multi-element refractive and diffractive systems can be designed. In this paper, the effect of introducing a diffractive surface in the optical path is analyzed. An example two-stage refractive and diffractive optical system is shown to have an optical efficiency of up to 0.87, and an acceptance angle of up to ±0.55° with a 1600× geometric concentration ratio, which is a significant improvement compared to a single-stage concentrator system with a single material. This optical design can be mass-produced with conventional fabrication methods, thus providing a low-cost alternative to other approaches, and the design approach can be generalized to many other solar concentrator systems with different cell sizes and geometric concentration ratios.

Nine-sector three-stage Fresnel lens concentrator

In this paper, we design a three-stage Fresnel lens concentrator with a low f number. The proposed concentrator consists of a primary optical element (POE) and a second optical element (SOE). The nine-sector three-stage Fresnel lens is composed of three types of triangular prisms: the refractive triangular prism, single total internal reflection triangular prism, and double total internal reflection triangular prism. In order to increase the uniformity and acceptance angle of the POE coupled to the SOE, the SOE is also divided into nine sectors. Finally, it is found that this nine-sector three-stage Fresnel lens concentrator can achieve a concentration ratio of 1000×; the uniformity is 25.8, optical efficiency is 81.8%, f number is 0.46, and acceptance angle is ±0.73°.

Generation of a uniform-square focal spot by a compound lens for solar concentration applications

This paper describes a compound lens for solar photovoltaic system applications, which is composed of a front aspheric or Fresnel surface and a back array of concave surfaces. In contrast to earlier designs, the proposed method can simultaneously focus and shape sun light into a uniform-square pattern on the solar cell. For a square solar cell, this approach can maximize the solar cell's opto-electric conversion efficiency by enhancing the concentrated pattern's uniformity. In this article, the theoretical models of the beam shaping focused lens is derived and then compared with experimental data. The tolerance in assembling the component of the concentrator is also analyzed and the corresponding simulation and experimental results are discussed in detail.