Energy rating of Concentrator PV systems using multi-junction III–V solar cells

An energy rating method is proposed for Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) systems. The method allows for easy calculation of the projected annual energy production at any location, which is the most important figure for utility scale PV application. The method consists of recording the daily energy production and the daily solar direct-beam energy. The ratio of these two values is called the Specific Energy Production Rate. It is shown that this figure represents the equivalent area of a 100% efficient energy conversion device. The ratio of the Specific Energy Production rate and the power rating of the CPV system is the well-known Performance Ratio. The influence of temperature, solar spectrum changes, Air Mass (AM), Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and precipitable Water Optical Thickness (WOT) is discussed for CPV systems with multi-junction III–V solar cells.