Concentrator Photovoltaic Technology
Concentrator photovoltaic technology (CPV) is a relatively young technology. At present the photovoltaic market is dominated above all by conventional flat plate photovoltaic modules made from silicon.
Concentrator photovoltaic systems use a concentrating optic – for example, mirrors or lenses – to bundle the sunlight and focus the light on very small solar cells which convert the light into electrical energy.
The advantage: By concentrating the sunlight, the required active area of the solar cell is reduced to only a small fraction of the area normally required by conventional solar cells. As a result, it is viable to use high quality solar cells with higher efficiencies.
With concentrator photovoltaic systems, it is possible, with large power plants located in sunny locations, to achieve electricity production costs that are 10-20% lower than those of conventional PV flat plate modules. Further advantages are the small amount of area needed for equivalent electrical yields as well as the high environmental relevance: the energy amortization time is about one year and therefore is much shorter than that for conventional silicon solar cell modules (3-4 years).
FLATCON® technology for maximum efficiency
Concentrix uses high-performance FLATCON® technology in its concentrator systems. This is a product of several years of research work at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, developed into a marketable product by Concentrix. The innovative system is both highly efficient and robust.
