User:ZyMOS/Solar concentrator

Solar Concentrators come in many forms, both photovoltaic and thermal solar. The basic concept is focusing or reflecting the suns energy in a smaller area.

Photovoltaic Concentrators
Photovoltaic concentrators have the added benifit of an increase in effiecency due to the nature of solar cells. Commercial solar cells operate with an effiecency of around 12% in standard sunlight, however when the sunlight is concentrated the effiecency can go above 23%. Photovoltaic concentrators also can reduce cost. Solar cell are fairly expensive, however mirror and optics are much cheaper. So a small solar cell concentraled can produce more energy with mirrors or optics than the equivalent area with a larger solar array. Two of the most common photovoltaic concentrator techneques are Fresnel Lenses, and solar dishes, which work in two complealy different ways. Fresnel Lenses opticly focus the suns light onto a smaller area. Solar dishes are parabolic mirrors or arrays of mirrors that reflect the suns light in to a point. The solar cells

Costs
There are added costs and losses in effiecency that are inherent to all solar concentrators. Since the Suns light it no longer simply hitting the solar conector directly, there are losses in effiecency due to the light passing through glass and reflecting off mirrors. These effiecenies can be well over 95%, however dirt and dust can reduce the effieciency dransticly. Control is also an added cost in all solar concentrators. The Suns light is being focused into a small point, so as the sun moves so does the focal point. This requires the mirrors or the solar element to constantly move with the Sun to remain in focus. These extra costs and losses must be factored in when looking at a solar concentrator system total cost and effeicency.

Examples of Solar Concentrators
Solar One, solar thermal paraboloid, Solar Furnace,