Frequently Asked Questions: The CPV Consortium and CPV Technology

What is the CPV Consortium?

TheCPVConsortiumisaglobalindustryorganizationthatsupportsthedevelopmentandlongterm successoftheConcentratorPhotovoltaicsindustrywiththegoalofprovidingalowcost,reliablesource ofrenewableenergy.ItsmembersincludedesignersandmanufacturersofCPVpanels,CPVcell suppliers,andtrackersuppliers.Themembershipalsoincludesalargebaseofcompaniesworkingon thedeployment,test,materials,andotherpartsoftheindustryinfrastructure.

Can I be a member of the Consortium if my company does not directly supply CPV systems?

Yes,thevisionoftheCPVConsortiumistohaveaglobalorganizationcoveringallfacetsofCPV,fromthe componentsthroughthedeployment.Currentmembersarecellsuppliers,trackersuppliers,panel suppliers,supportcompanies,systemintegratorsandinstallers,researchlabs,powergeneratorsand universities.

What is CPV and how is it different from other solar technology?

CPVstandsforconcentratorphotovoltaics.Aconcentrating photovoltaic(CPV)systemconvertslightenergyintoelectrical energyinthesamewaythatconventionalphotovoltaictechnology does.Thedifferenceinthetechnologiesliesintheadditionofan opticalsystemthatfocusesalargeareaofsunlightontoeachcell. Solarconcentratorsofallvarietiesmaybeusedwiththebase technologyeitherbeingrefractiveorreflective.Theotherprimary differenceisinthecells.TraditionalPVsystemsutilizelarge amountsofsiliconsolarcells.Incontrast,CPVsystemsutilizea smallamountofhighefficiencysolarcellmaterial.Thesecells usedinhighconcentrationCPVsystemsarereferredtoasmulti junctionorIIIVcells.TheCPVpanelsaremountedontokeepthe focalpointonthecellasthesunmovesacrossthesky.CPVis sometimesconfusedwithCSPConcentratingSolarPower. WhereasPVconvertslightenergydirectlytoelectricity,CSP systemsutilizeheatfromthesystemtogeneratepowerina traditionalsteamenginepowerplantenvironment.

What value does CPV bring to the solar industry?

CPV,withitshigherefficiencydelivershigherenergyproductionper megawattinstalled,providesthelowestcostofsolarenergyinhigh solarregionsoftheworld.Thetechnologyisinitsearlystagewith significantheadroomforfutureinnovation,andithastheabilityto ramptogigawattsofproductionveryrapidly.Manyofthelimitations forPVinthepastareovercomebyadvancesinCPVtechnology.

Do CPV systems perform better than traditional silicon based PV?

CPVsystemshavemuchhigherefficiencythandotraditionalsystems.Becausetheyareconcentrating, theycanonlyusedirectsunlight,notindirectordiffusedsunlight.Inregionsoftheworldwherethereis highsolarresource,CPVsystemswillproducesignificantlymore energythantraditionalPVsystems.ThefactthattheCPVcellsdonot degradeinperformancewhentemperaturesarehighprovidesanother advantagetoCPVinthehighsolarresourceareaswherehigh temperaturesarecommon.CPVsystemsalsotrackthesun throughoutthedaywhichcorrelatestomoreenergyproductionthatis anexcellentmatchtopeakdemandload.CPVsystemswillproduce electricityatasteadyratelateintotheday,acapabilitynotavailable tofixedtiltPVsystems.
Where will CPV systems be most efficient?

CPVsystemsperformbestinareaswithplentyofdirectsunlight,sincecloudsandovercastconditions creatediffusedlightthatessentiallycannotbeconcentrated.Idealmarketsforthistechnologyinclude theMediterranean(Spain,Italy,GreeceandotherpartsofsouthernEurope),theSouthwestUS (California,Nevada,Arizona,NewMexico,Texas,Colorado),Australia,NorthAfrica,theMiddleEast,as wellasotherareasinthesouthernhemisphere.

What is the efficiency of CPV systems?

TheefficiencyandtheenergyyieldofCPVsystemsareexponential.Efficiencycanvarybydistributor, butthetypicalrangeforcommercialterrestrialapplicationsystemsis3035%.However,itisimportant tokeepinmindthattherearealotofwaysthatefficiencyisreferencedsoincomparingsystemsand efficienciesitisimportanttounderstandhowefficiencyisbeingmeasured.Regardless,CPVtechnology ismoreefficientthanconventionalsiliconsolarsystems.


What is the efficiency rating of PV panels?

AtypicalPVpaneltodaywouldhavearatedefficiencyofaround15%.Therearesomepanelsavailable inthe18+%range,buttheyaretheexceptiontothecommonlyavailablePVpanels.Itisimportantto notethattheratedefficiencydoesnottakeintoaccountsuchthingsasperformancedegradationdueto temperature,andothervariationsthataffectpanelefficiency.

What is different about solar cells used in CPV systems?

ThephotovoltaiccellsusedinhighconcentrationCPVsystemsdifferfromthoseusedintraditional photovoltaicsystemswhichareusuallycrystallinesiliconcells.CPVcells,referredtoasmultijunction orIIIVcellswereoriginallycreatedforspaceapplications.Nowtheyarebeingusedinterrestrialsolar applications,anditistheavailabilityofsuchcellsthathasbeenakeyenablerofCPVtechnology.These cellsprovideenergyconversionefficienciesmuchhigherthantraditionalsiliconcellsapproximately 37+%todaywithplannedefficienciesoverthenextfewyearsmovingintothe45%range.

Why are trackers needed?

BecauseCPVsystemsuseopticswhichfunctionmuchliketelescopes,focusingsunlightontosmallPV cells,theunitsmuststayindirectalignmentwiththesunthroughouttheday.Differentsystemshave differentfieldsofviewwithvaryingacceptanceangles,however,above10Xconcentration,trackingis required.

What maintenance is required for these systems?

MaintenanceonCPVsystemsissimilartothatoftraditionalPVsolarsystems.Thepanelsmustbe cleanedperiodically,andthetrackersrequiresimplemaintenanceforthegearsandmotors.System maintenanceandpersonaltrainingareimportanttoensurethatthepanelsareperformingattheirtop potential.Sinceoperationandmaintenanceisspecifictoagivensystem,itisbesttotalkdirectlytothe manufactureraboutitsrecommendedmaintenance.

How does CPV technology keep the environment in mind?

Comparedwithothersolartechnologies,CPVhasthemost environmentallyfavorablefootprint.Whileallsystemsvaryin detail,overallyouwillfindCPVsystemstoprovidethebestuseof land,supportdistributedgenerationmodelsforminimaldisruption ofland,havealowerenergypaybackperiodthanother technologies,usenexttonopreciouswaterresources,allow flexibilityinsitelayouttoutilizealreadydisturbedlands,haveno permanentshading,andaremuchmorehighlyrecyclable.

What is LCOE?

LCOEstandsforLevelizedCostofEnergy.Basically,itisthenetpresentvalueofthetotalcostof generatingenergy,dividedbytheamountofenergyproduced.Thekeyinusingthisasametricfor evaluatingenergyoptionsisthatitencompassesallofthecostsandmeasuresthatagainsttheamount ofenergygenerated,providingamuchmoreappropriatemeasurethansuchmetricsas$/wattwhich failtotakeintoaccountactualenergyproduction.Levelizedcostofenergyalsoallowssolarenergyto becomparedwithotherformsofrenewableandconventionalenergy.

What do all these electrical terms mean?

WattUnitofpower kW(kilowatts)1000Watts MW(megawatt)OneMillionWatts(106) GW(gigawatt)OneBillionWatts(109) TW(terawatt)OneTrillionWatts(1012) kWhrpowerconsumedovertime(Wxtime)