Title :
Analysis of energy production of Spectrolab multijunction solar cells in field conditions
Author :
Jones, R.K. ; King, R.R. ; Fetzer, C.M. ; Ermer, J.H. ; Edmondson, K.M. ; Hebert, P.
Author_Institution :
Spectrolab, Inc., Sylmar, CA, USA
Abstract :
Multijunction solar cells used in concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems deliver solar power at low cost in high DNI climates where the solar resource is greatest. Because the cells subdivide the solar spectrum and are used with optical systems of varying spectral response, careful evaluation and optimization of cell performance under real field conditions is important. This paper presents modeled performance of the latest generation Spectrolab cells in systems with PMMA and silicone-on-glass optics, using a simple cell temperature model, TMY3 data, and the SMARTS spectral irradiance model. Results show that the improved efficiency of C4P5 cells compared to the lattice-matched C3P5 cells is more pronounced in systems with PMMA optics.
Keywords :
photovoltaic power systems; solar cells; solar energy concentrators; C4P5 cells; CPV systems; PMMA optics; SMARTS spectral irradiance model; Spectrolab multijunction solar cells; TMY3 data; cell temperature model; concentrating photovoltaic systems; energy production analysis; field conditions; high DNI climates; lattice-matched C3P5 cells; optical systems; silicone-on-glass optics; solar power; solar resource; solar spectrum; Atmospheric modeling; Limiting; Optics; Production; Temperature; Temperature dependence; Wind speed; energy harvesting; photovoltaic cells; photovoltaic systems;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2012 38th IEEE
Conference_Location :
Austin, TX
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4673-0064-3
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.2012.6318005
