A Comparative Study of 3D Printed Non-Imaging Solar V-Trough and Compound Parabolic Concentrators for Low-Cost, High-Performance CPV Applications

This study presents a comparative simulation and experimental study on the optical and electrical performances of non-imaging concentrators; V-trough Solar Concentrator (VSC) and Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC). A number of VSC and CPC of various concentration ratios and acceptance angles were designed, simulated, fabricated and tested for this study. Advanced SolidWorks and TracePro simulations were used to design the geometrical boundaries and simulate the optical behaviour of concentrators. 3D printing technology, high-reflective materials, a mono-crystalline Silicon solar cell were employed for the construction of concentrators. An identical experimental concentrator PV set-up, a standard PV cell characterisation system and a spectroradiometer were used to investigate the performance of the concentrator PV system in an indoor environment at standard test condition of 1kW/m2, AM1.5G and 25°C. The results of the evaluation study showed that each type of concentrators has unique characteristics. For instance, the CPC offers a concentration ratio higher than the VSC while the light irradiance on the PV cell of VSC is more uniform than the CPC. The comparison between concentrators provides useful guidelines for achieving higher optical performance and improved electrical yields from those concentrators at affordable prices. The agreement between the simulation and experimental results is found to be less than 1 %.