Design and realization of a new concentrating photovoltaic solar energy module based on lossless horizontally staggered light guide

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Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Edebiyat Fakültesi, Fizik Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2013

Öğrenci: ÖZGÜR SELİMOĞLU

Danışman: RAŞİT TURAN

Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu

Özet:

Concentrating Photovoltaic systems are good candidates for low cost and clean electricity generation from solar energy. CPV means replacing much of the expensive semiconductor photovoltaic cells with the cheaper optics. Although the idea is simple, CPV systems have several problems inherent to their system design, such as module thickness, expensive PV cells and overheating. Light guide systems are good alternatives to classical CPV systems that can clear off most of the problems of those systems. In this thesis we explore a new light-guide based solar concentrator by optical design and simulations. It is shown that this solar concentrator can reach 1000x geometric concentration, 96.5% optical efficiency with a ±1 degree acceptance angle. As a result of simulations, effectiveness of the horizontally staggered light guide solar concentrators is proved. A practical module study is carried on to improve the knowledge related to light guide CPV systems. The concentrator geometry is fabricated as a medium concentrator system with a geometric concentration of 45x and +-2 degrees acceptance angle. With the prototype level injection molding 74% optical efficiency is achieved and can be improved with a better mold manufacturing. A cost analyses is also performed with real manufacturing parameters and it is shown that grid parity can be achieved with this kind of light guide solar concentrators.