High-concentration planar microtracking photovoltaic system exceeding 30% efficiency

Jared S. Price, Alex J. Grede, Baomin Wang, Michael V. Lipski, Brent Fisher, Kyu-Tae Lee, Junwen He, Gregory S. Brulo, Xiaokun Ma, Scott Burroughs, Christopher D. Rahn, Ralph G. Nuzzo, John A. Rogers and Noel C. Giebink ()
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Jared S. Price: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Alex J. Grede: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Baomin Wang: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Michael V. Lipski: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Brent Fisher: Semprius Inc.
Kyu-Tae Lee: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Junwen He: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Gregory S. Brulo: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Xiaokun Ma: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Scott Burroughs: Semprius Inc.
Christopher D. Rahn: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Ralph G. Nuzzo: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
John A. Rogers: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Noel C. Giebink: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Nature Energy, 2017, vol. 2, issue 8, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Prospects for concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) power are growing as the market increasingly values high power conversion efficiency to leverage now-dominant balance of system and soft costs. This trend is particularly acute for rooftop photovoltaic power, where delivering the high efficiency of traditional CPV in the form factor of a standard rooftop photovoltaic panel could be transformative. Here, we demonstrate a fully automated planar microtracking CPV system 660× concentration ratio over a 140∘ full field of view. In outdoor testing over the course of two sunny days, the system operates automatically from sunrise to sunset, outperforming a 17%-efficient commercial silicon solar cell by generating >50% more energy per unit area per day in a direct head-to-head competition. These results support the technical feasibility of planar microtracking CPV to deliver a step change in the efficiency of rooftop solar panels at a commercially relevant concentration ratio.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/nenergy.2017.113

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