Reduction in Operating Temperature of 25 Series-Connected 820X Concentrator Photovoltaic Module

Under concentration conditions, it is important to manage the operating temperature of a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) module, because a high-density solar energy enters into the solar cell. We measured the receiver temperature of the CPV module and evaluated the relationship between the temperature and output of the CPV module. 25 series-connected 820X CPV modules with 2- and 4-mm-thick back chassises were fabricated. In the case of a CPV module with a 4-mm-thick back chassis, the receiver temperature was markedly reduced owing to the effective thermal diffusion of the thicker chassis. The absolute conversion efficiency of the CPV module with the 4-mm-thick back chassis was 1.5% higher than that of the module with the 2-mm-thick back chassis. Moreover, we developed a thermal transfer model of the CPV module and calculated the thermal distribution in the CPV module using a thermal transfer simulator.

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