Modeling of high-concentrator photovoltaic systems for utility-scale applications

Abstract

The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) is widely used for evaluating the cost of energy generation across technologies. In a utility-scale high-concentrator photovoltaic system (HCPV), capacity factor (CF) and ground-coverage ratio (GCR) are the two fundamental drivers for determining the LCOE. However the LCOE is a complex function of various parameters, which is not explicitly defined in terms of these two factors. In this chapter, based on a cost function that simplifies the LCOE in terms of CF and GCR, the method for modeling utility-scale HCPV systems is considered.