Three-dimensional transparent parabolic concentrator for photovoltaics

Abstract

A three-dimensional transparent parabolic concentrator made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) was designed and fabricated for photovoltaic applications. The measured maximum concentration ratio of the concentrator is 8.31, which means that for normal incident light, optical energy can be concentrated as high as 8.31 times by the concentrator. Even for oblique incident lights with an incident angle of between 5° and 15°, the concentrator maintains a concentration ratio of between 6.81 and 3.72. The concentrator was connected to Si cell, which increased the maximum output power of the Si cell by 12 times, compared with that of the bare cell. This indicates that the concentrator can increase the energy generated by Si cell by 12 times.