Optical Characterization of Nonimaging Planar Concentrator for the Application in Concentrator Photovoltaic System

The design and construction of miniature prototype of nonimaging planar concentrator, which is capable of producing much more uniform spatial irradiance and reasonably high concentration ratio, were presented in the previous paper. In this paper, we further explore the optical characteristics of the new concentrator that is specially designed to be incorporated in concentrator photovoltaic systems. For this study, we have carried out a comprehensive analysis via numerical simulation based on all the important design parameters, i.e., array of facet mirrors, f/D ratio, receiver size, and the effect of sun-tracking error, which lead to the overall optical performance of the new concentrator.