Indoor performance analysis of a low concentrating photovoltaic module for building integration

Abstract

A low concentrating photovoltaic concentrator is designed for building integration in Edinburgh and higher latitudes (>55°). The dielectric Asymmetric Compound Parabolic Concentrator (ACPC) is manufactured by machining a 15mm thick PMMA sheet by a specially designed cutter. Maximum 2.1 times increase in power of the CPV module compared to the non-concentrating counterpart is observed at 15° incidence angle. The maximum short circuit current of the CPV module with 1 sun is found to be 439mA. The short circuit current and power of the CPV module is found to be decreased towards the extreme acceptance angles which is due to the higher optical losses, which may occur due to the light escaping from the parabolic surfaces and from the concentrator-encapsulation interface. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.