A Sunflower Receiver for Hybrid Photovoltaic-Solar Thermal Energy Conversion

A hybrid receiver composed of a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) module and a thermal receiver is developed for a photovoltaic-solar thermal (CPV/T) cogeneration system. The receiver has the appearance of a flower and is referred to as a sunflower receiver. The unique nature of this design uses both waste heat from the CPV cells and intentional spillage of a large fraction of the concentrated solar energy to generate very high temperature thermal output (up to 250°C) from a single heat transfer fluid, while the temperature of the cells is maintained below 110°C as they convert part of the solar spectrum into electricity. The exit temperature of the heat transfer fluid is adjustable according to the requirements of commercial or industrial process heat application. Early prototype results are discussed.