Introduction to Concentrator photovoltaics (CPV)
The third generation of CPV (concentrated solar) power generation is gradually becoming the focus of the solar field. Photovoltaic power generation has experienced the first generation of crystalline silicon cells and second-generation thin-film cells, and the current industrialization process is gradually turning to efficient CPV systems(Concentrator Photovoltaics System) for power generation. Compared with the previous two generations of batteries, CPV uses multi-junction III-V compound batteries, which have the advantages of large spectral absorption and high conversion efficiency. HCPV is a high-concentration solar energy. High-concentration solar energy (HCPV) and concentrated light (CPV) solar energy technology collects sunlight from a certain area through a concentrating system in a narrow area (focal spot) by collecting light. The size of the focal spot area can be reduced, thereby greatly reducing the amount of solar cells used.
The advantages of Concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) technology are:
1. Extremely large scale potential. Due to its high photoelectric conversion efficiency, it is the ideal solar power generation technology that can be used to build large supporting power sources for the foreseeable future.
2. There is a huge room for cost reduction. CPV module technology has greatly reduced the use of photovoltaic materials, which are the most costly part of solar cells. Compared with crystalline silicon and thin-film solar power generation technology, CPV currently has no advantage in the construction cost of 3-4 US dollars / Wp, but as an emerging technology, with the expansion of production scale, battery efficiency, improvement of concentrating module Wait, the cost has a huge room for decline.
3. Small footprint. In the case of the same amount of power generation, the land area occupied by CPV power plants is much smaller than that of flat-panel solar energy. The CPV system(Concentrator Photovoltaics System) carries its main structure by the pillars, and the floor space is extremely small. Since the shadow area generated by the system on the ground is mobile, the ecological impact on the location of the power plant is small, and the land below the panel can still be used for animal husbandry and the like. .
4. The water consumption is extremely low. Generally, areas with high solar radiation are relatively short of water. The entire power generation process of the CPV system does not require water at all, and only a small amount of water is needed to clean the glass casing of the solar module. Compared with clean power generation technologies such as concentrated light and heat (CST), nuclear power, and IGCC, CPV has obvious water saving advantages.
5. Material recycling. Another particularly attractive aspect of CPV technology is that 97% of the materials used in this technology (mostly glass and aluminum) are recyclable. Power plants using CPV technology can recover costs within six months due to lower costs. Even more amazingly, CPV technology allows the array of solar-receiving glass to be arranged irregularly, maximizing the development of available land and maximizing solar energy utilization. And because the system is able to track the sun's movements during the day, people can even grow crops under the glass array.
6. Coexistence with the traditional photovoltaic industry. Despite its low cost, CPV does not pose a threat to the traditional solar PV industry because CPV is different from the traditional PV field. The former is more suitable for large-scale facilities and is suitable for building power plants; the latter is more suitable for small-scale applications that are dispersed, such as applied to the roof. But this technology poses a real threat to large-scale solar thermal power plants.
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