Improve the performance of solar modules by reflectors

Abstract

Solar energy is one of the most significant renewable energy sources, in both its applications thermal and photovoltaic, world needs. Iraq is one of the countries with the abundance of this type of energy, where annual solar activity reaches about 2000kWh/m2/year on the horizontal surface. In the present work a solar collectors with V-trough concentrator system were designed and fabricated with geometric concentration ratios two suns to get an extra electric output power. The experiment was carried out in Al-Zwraa Company in Baghdad. The main results indicated that the solar concentrator system caused to increase the short circuit current due to increase the amount of incident solar radiation on the solar modules, and thus increase in output power. As a comparison with reference module, the gain in output power, at solar noon, exceeded 48%. It can be concluded that the use of V-Trough concentrator system coupled with solar module systems can result in a favourable cost-benefit ratio.