Design and modeling of a high efficiency hybrid photovoltaic-photothermal concentrator (PVPTC) system

In this work, a hybrid solar power conversion system is proposed. Novel designs of concentrator-based hybrid photovoltaic-photothermal systems are assessed and modeled. In building upon the robustness of GaP and Si, we propose a system that combines a GaP photovoltaic cell in tandem with a Si selective absorber to drive a heat engine. We have developed a model to account for temperature dependencies of both components and determined that system efficiencies over 55% can be reached when operating at moderate temperatures. The benefit to this approach is in a simplified design that does not require ultra-high concentration and eliminates the need for passive or active cooling mechanisms.