Azimuth tracking linkage influence on the efficiency of a low CPV system

Abstract

The paper presents research on modeling the influence of an azimuth tracking linkage on the energetic response of a low CPV system build up of a PV module and two mirrors: one on the left side and symmetrically on the right side along the length of the PV module. This paper analyses the influence of the azimuth open tracking linkage, its tracking accuracy and the mirror-PV relative geometry on the tracking efficiency and on the size of a low CPV system with mirrors. This analysis has two main objectives: maximizing the tracking efficiency of the direct solar radiation and minimizing the overall size of the CPV system. The geometric modeling of this CPV system and the numerical simulations allow the identification of the optimal solutions. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010.