Design and development in optics of concentrator photovoltaic system

Due to the dramatic advances in commercial multi-junction solar cells with 40% conversion efficiency, solar concentrator capable of delivering flux levels of hundreds to thousands of suns at high collective efficiency is the key factor for the success of novel Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) system. This paper would review and survey the progress in the last 30 years including the optical design and development in the optics of solar concentrators for the CPV system. The detailed architectural design and optical principle of solar concentrators are presented to show various innovative and creative ideas of harnessing solar energy.