Solar Concentrator Bio-Inspired by the Superposition Compound Eye for High-Concentration Photovoltaic System up to Thousands Fold Factor

Duc Tu Vu, Ngoc Minh Kieu, Tran Quoc Tien, Thanh Phuong Nguyen, Hoang Vu, Seoyong Shin and Ngoc Hai Vu
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Duc Tu Vu: Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia, Ha Dong, Hanoi 12116, Vietnam
Ngoc Minh Kieu: Institute of Material Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi 11355, Vietnam
Tran Quoc Tien: Institute of Material Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi 11355, Vietnam
Thanh Phuong Nguyen: School of Engineering Physics, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Dai Co Viet, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi 11657, Vietnam
Hoang Vu: Department of Information and Communication Engineering, Myongji University, 116 Myongji-ro, Cheoin-gu, Yongin 17058, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Seoyong Shin: Department of Information and Communication Engineering, Myongji University, 116 Myongji-ro, Cheoin-gu, Yongin 17058, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Ngoc Hai Vu: Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia, Ha Dong, Hanoi 12116, Vietnam

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-24

Abstract: We have proposed a fruitful design principle targeting a concentration ratio (CR) >1000× for a typical high concentrating photovoltaics (HCPV) system, on account of a two-concentrator system + homogenizer. The principle of a primary dual-lens concentrator unit, completely analogous basic optics seen in the superposition compound eyes, is a trend not hitherto reported for solar concentrators to our knowledge. Such a concentrator unit, consisting of two aspherical lenses, can be applied to minify the sunlight and reveal useful effects. We underline that, at this stage, the CR can be attained by two orders of magnitude simply by varying the radius ratio of such two lenses known from the optics side. The output beam is spatially minimized and nearly parallel, exactly as occurs in the superposition compound eye. In our scheme, thanks to such an array of dual-lens design, a sequence of equidistant focal points is formed. The secondary concentrator consists of a multi-reflective channel, which can collect all concentrated beams from the primary concentrator to a small area where a solar cell is placed. The secondary concentrator is located right underneath the primary concentrator. The optical characteristics are substantiated by optical simulations that confirm the applicability of thousands-fold gain in CR value, ~1100×. This, however, also reduced the uniformity of the illumination area. To regain the uniformity, we devise a fully new homogenizer, hinging on the scattering principle. A calculated optical efficiency for the entire system is ~75%. Experimentally, a prototype of such a dual-lens concentrator is implemented to evaluate the converging features. As a final note, we mention that the approach may be extended to implement an even higher CR, be it simply by taking an extra concentrator unit. With simple design of the concentrator part, which may allow the fabrication process by modeling method and large acceptant angle (0.6°), we assess its large potential as part of a general strategy to implement a highly efficient CPV system, with minimal critical elaboration steps and large flexibility.

Keywords: high CPV system; high concentration ratio; solar concentrator; bioinspired optical components; homogenizer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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