Concentrating Photovoltaics

Andrew Blakers
Director
Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems

Solar energy is special

Vast
100 times larger that all other energy sources

Ubiquitous
Everyone has it
We will never go to war over solar energy
No use to terrorists

Minimal environmental impact

Inexhaustible
Uses only very common materials
Available over unlimited timescales

PV and solar thermal - natural partners

Sunlight in
Australia
Supply all of Australias and the worlds electricity

Global Photovoltaic Sales

9000

7000
6000

Industry doubling times

5000
20 months

4000
3000
2000

30 months

1000
0

19
90
19
91
19
92
19
93
19
94
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08

S h ip m e n ts (M W )

8000

Setting the scene

PV doubling sales every 20 months
Non-concentrator - dominates
Micro, small, large
Urban or central power station
Tracking or non-tracking

CPV (concentrator PV) minor player

Power tower, dishes, troughs, micro

40% reduction in PV price over 2008-09

Price pressure on CPV and CST

Hermannsburg

Courtesy: Solar Systems

PV trough

ANU

Micro concentrators

Solfocus

Concentrix

CPV~CST

ANU

PV or thermal power tower

CPV
Sun tracking required
Only direct beam sunlight can be used
Direct beam = 50 to 90% of insolation

Specialist solar cells needed

>100 suns, 2 axis tracking: III-V tandem cells
<100 suns, 1 axis tracking: specialist silicon cells

World record cell efficiency: 42%

Theoretical maximum: 86%

Thermal engineering
1500 suns, 60 cell temperature
Water cooling optional, particularly for micro systems

Hybrid PV-thermal systems

Silicon concentrator cell

20-25% efficient @ 30 suns

Cell fingers

Cell tabs

GaInP/GaInAs/Ge 3-junction solar cell

NREL: 40.8%
Fraunhofer ISE: 41.1% @ 454 suns
Spectrolab: 41.6% @ 240 suns

Fresnel micro concentrators

Fresnel micro concentrators

Hybrid PV/thermal trough concentrator

Micro concentrators
PV-thermal hybrid systems on building roofs
Solar electricity from solar cells
Solar heat at the point of use
Solar hot water
Solar heating
Solar cooling

70% combined efficiency

Complete home energy solution

Prototype Receiver - encapsulated with PMDS silicone

0.00
0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

-0.50

Current (A)

-1.00

-1.50

-2.00

-2.50

-3.00
Voltage (V)

Performance Characteristics at 20x

Performance Characteristics at 30x

Short Circuit Current (A)

1.7

Short Circuit Current (A)

2.6

Open Circuit Voltage (V)

2.9

Open Circuit Voltage (V)

3.0

Fill Factor

0.71

Fill Factor

0.67

Efficiency

19.9%

Efficiency

19.4%

Voltage builds at a rate of ~ 0.6V/cm at MPP

Liquid Immersed Receiver

AISRF Project
ANU & Anna University
TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF IMPROVED SOLAR
PHOTOVOLTAIC LINEAR CONCENTRATORS AND DETERMINATION OF MARKET
POTENTIAL IN INDIA

Objectives

Identification of the markets for Solar Linear Concentrators in India.

Promoting greater commercial utilization of solar energy in India.

Determination and stimulation of market acceptance for Solar Linear

Concentrators (PV, T, and PV/T).

Design Solar Linear Concentrators to address market expectations in

India.

Training of technical personnel in India to demonstrate and deploy

SLC.

Work plan

Analysis of energy market in India.

Survey to identify the technical and economic potential and the social
acceptance.

Climate analysis (solar irradiation, temperature, humidity, etc.).

Components cost analysis in Australia.

Maximum allowed price per application, size of the system.

Design of system addressing these criteria (size, cost).

Training personal: Installation and building of a prototype in Anna

University (India).

Analysis of field performance in India.

Australian Government assistance

Australian Research Council

Generic research grants for early stage R&D

ARC Centre for Solar Energy Systems concentrator Si cells
ARC Linkage grants for concentrators: US$0.4M

Asia Pacific Partnership (US$1.4M)

Development of hybrid receivers

AISRF (US$0.35M)
Concentrators in India

China ISL (US$0.3M)

Immersed-cell concentrator receivers

Australian Solar Institute

Foundation grant (US$4.5M) to refurbish labs
Possibility of future grants in concentrators

Building R&D expertise

Build critical mass in just a few places
Dont spread funding too thinly

Focus on a few technologies

Build from a core portfolio
Import world experts for establishment phase

Mixture of basic and applied projects

Applied projects to have commercial partners to force
commercial engagement
Rewards for successful commercialisation

Multiple funding sources

Diversity of funding
Diversity of styles
Avoid stop/start funding

Thank you!
solar.anu.edu.au