Validation of energy harvest modeling for X14 system

Abstract

Skyline Solar has developed a second generation medium concentration photovoltaic system with an optical concentration of around 14. The energy harvest model based on the first generation system has been updated and improved using field data. The model combines a bottom-up modeling approach based on performance of subcomponents such as mirrors and cells with a top-down approach based on measuring the system output under different environmental conditions. Improvement of the model includes the effect of non-uniformity of the light on the panel. The predicted energy ratio (ratio between the observed energy and expected energy) has been measured over a 10-month period and shows monthly variability below 2%, resulting in high confidence level for the mean of the expected energy harvest. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.