Solar modules twice as efficient as conventional silicon - photovoltaic concentrator technology

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/futures/33333

Mar 13, 2008

Solar modules twice as efficient as conventional silicon

German company Concentrix Solar has won an innovation award for its photovoltaic concentrator technology.

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Awarded by the Wirtschaftsclub Rhein-Main, an association of German companies, the prize recognizes the innovation of the company's Flatcon technology. Concentrix claims the use of concentrator technology means cells achieve twice the efficiency when compared with conventional photovoltaics and gives cost savings of 10 to 20% for electric power production, depending on the location.

Concentrix says it is one of the first companies to use highly efficient solar cells for terrestrial rather than space applications. For its module construction, Concentrix uses established production engineering techniques from the areas of circuit board technology and insulating glass technology. By using highly efficient solar cells, by concentrating the sunlight and through the high precision attained when positioning the cells, Concentrix obtained module efficiencies above 26%, which is approximately double the module efficiency of conventional silicon technology.

Using the company's technology, sunlight is optically concentrated by a factor of almost 500 onto a small, highly efficient solar cell using Fresnel lenses. Because the sunlight is focused, the modules must track the sun, making sunny regions with a high proportion of direct sunlight – such as southern Europe – the best locations for these systems.

Indeed, Concentrix has just installed 18 systems, each with a power of 5.75 kW, in Puertollano, Spain, as part of the Spanish ISFOC (Institute of Concentration Photovoltaic Systems) project. ISFOC aims to install a range of concentrator technologies that are close to market to provide a total of up to 3 MW of power.

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[aquart]

1. But who's got cheap solar for the north/northeast?

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. Define "cheap" ... n/t

[formercia]

3. 500:1 concentration

I bet they run hot.

[FREEWILL56]

4. Yes they do run hot and that's their downfall.

All concentrator to pv operations windup with a very short lifespan due to excessive heat and they also don't tell you that you have to accurately track the sun throughout the day or it is useless. If they've improved the efficiency of the cells then put them into standard modules. The kicker here would be their way higher than normal pricetag for the modules so who really cares what they've achieved?

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. "... they ... don't tell you that you have to accurately track the sun ..."

(Whoever "they" are...)

From the article:

... Because the sunlight is focused, the modules must track the sun ...

From a flier:
http://www.ise.fhg.de/publications/brochures-and-procuct-information/solar-cells/flatconae-technology/at_download/file

...

Modules with long-life design

The all-glass modules are designed to generate electricity with the reliability and life-span comparable to state-of-the-art crystalline silicon modules. The simplicity of the design combined with commonly used materials and well established processes ensure high quality at low production costs.

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[skids]

6. They've even managed to passively cool (no fan) up to I think

...about 1:10 maybe 1:25 concentration.

(and 26% at 500 suns is not the top performance cell available, but really that doesn't matter what matters is the $/watt in the end. But I point this out because at 40.7% for the record setting cell... high 30's for the production quantity cell... the less heat left over.)

[FREEWILL56]

7. I stand corrected on my oversite as they do say to track it.

Now a standard cell does not last long in concentrated sunlight so neither does this new one, but I'd be happy to see these as standard pvs on the open market if what they say is true. That is the biggest problem in believing companies such as this as many have laid claims for this kind of thing. The products are usually vaporware because of the unfounded claims by many manufacturers or are not cost effective. I'm not putting you down okisitjustme as you are only reporting on what they have laid claim to. PEACE.