4-Terminal CPV module capable of converting global normal irradiance into electricity

This paper investigates the outdoor performance of a new kind of hybrid concentrator photovoltaic module. The concept which we name, EyeCon, uses an array of Fresnel lenses to concentrate direct irradiance onto III-V four-junction solar cells while a large-area silicon cell absorbs diffuse sunlight and also acts as a heat distributing substrate. The preliminary results show that under a high ratio of direct to global irradiance (> 0.9) the concept is capable to convert up to 36.8 % of the global solar resource rather than just the direct beam. Moreover at a low ratio of direct to global irradiance (0.57) the hybrid module generates 30 % additional power with respect to the array of concentrator four-junction solar cells alone. The Eyecon module is applicable to all regions of the world and allows reaching the highest energy yield per module area of any PV technology.This paper investigates the outdoor performance of a new kind of hybrid concentrator photovoltaic module. The concept which we name, EyeCon, uses an array of Fresnel lenses to concentrate direct irradiance onto III-V four-junction solar cells while a large-area silicon cell absorbs diffuse sunlight and also acts as a heat distributing substrate. The preliminary results show that under a high ratio of direct to global irradiance (> 0.9) the concept is capable to convert up to 36.8 % of the global solar resource rather than just the direct beam. Moreover at a low ratio of direct to global irradiance (0.57) the hybrid module generates 30 % additional power with respect to the array of concentrator four-junction solar cells alone. The Eyecon module is applicable to all regions of the world and allows reaching the highest energy yield per module area of any PV technology.