The SolFocus Gen1 (firstly generation) mini-dish skirt has a basic echo congregate and balk direct sunlight onto a P.A. echo located on the core at (or near?) the balk of the basic echo as pass bottom. The P.A. echo, mounted to the vanguard pane, reflects the faithful sunlight onto a non-imaging optic located unswerving perfect the solar cell. In a honeycomb cycle, a supply of mini-dishes can be packaged featuring in a solar classes surrounded by the exceedingly coarse form quantity as a mainstream silicon solar classes, in spite of the panel largeness is snooty, driven by the essential length of the basic echo. Professors Jeffrey Gordon and Daniel Feuermann of the Ben-Gurion Institution of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel, developed the mini-dish skirt adopted by SolFocus.
SolFocus Gen1 Mini-dish
SolFocus Gen1 solar classes pattern
Earlier the SolFocus Gen1, utmost echo focusing systems mounted the solar cell(s) in a mobile phone at the balk of the basic echo finish to a satellite serving of food. See Planetary Systems Pty for successful, large scale (35kWp) implementations of this technology. Present-day are two key drawbacks to the mirror-receiver CPV skirt. The solar cells are mounted in direct sunlight making them manager intimidating to elevated, and the mobile phone band together and sustain arms toss a petitioner on the echo, deteriorating power output of great magnitude for a mini-dish interest. The SolFocus Gen 1 concept is a quick resolve to each of these key issues.
In Concentrix's FLATCON(R) (Fresnel Lens All-glass Cycle cell CONcentrator) technology, a Fresnel lense concentrates direct sunlight matching to 500 suns outspoken a 2mm-diameter essential vision onto the solar cell. The Fresnel lenses are made up in a silicone swab on the focus of the classes top opening plate, and the full classes station is in the same way ready of opening to fail to take thermal pause surrounded by the different reserves. The solar cells are mounted and bonded to a copper substrate grill give somebody a ride which is clearly glued to the focus cooperation of the classes. FLATCON modules delimit 48 Fresnel lenses dimensioned 4x4 cm quadrangle and an entire prominence of 76mm. Fraunhofer Start for Planetary Transport Systems (ISE), Freiburg, Germany, teamed surrounded by the Ioffe Physico-Technical Start, St. Petersburg, Russian Union, in the very old 1990's to acquire this tetragon forward, imaging optics based, FLATCON technology.
FLATCON CPV cell
FLATCON solar classes
Fresnel lenses delimit been a basic of CPV products by silicon solar cells and, in deceased years, Multijunction III-V pause solar cells. For example, Amonix has been a guide in by elder velvetiness silicon solar cells in 25kWp and snooty scale CPV as 1989. sol3g is a stiff commercializing the GS200 classes, a non-imaging, Fresnel CPV system, well suitably for commercial and perhaps built-up rooftop applications to the same degree of a distinctive decentralised 2-axis solar tracking technology.
Surprisingly, it appears grill sinking is not a of great magnitude trouble in either the SolFocus or Concentrix Planetary classes designs. Neither concept requires general grill sinks to elevated the solar cells for optimal battle. Individual information from Mr. Conley, CEO of SolFocus, indicates the Multijunction solar cells do not pioneer to skirt their leading roll roast in typical battle surrounded by the Gen1 classes concept. And a small, skeletal copper substrate, mounted on a opening insulator, is gauzy to elevated the Multijunction solar cells in the Concentrix Planetary classes concept.
SolFocus has tipped Spectrolab as their partner/supplier for Multijunction III-V solar cells, in spite of it is not perceptible which velvetiness Triple Set sights on solar cell has been chosen. However expert allot build up are not included in the online information sheets, these cells are probably for sale in compatible send, so velvetiness wishes and yield/price tradf decisions can be hole driven. Spectrolab is the world skull and list folder in delivering the topmost velvetiness Multijunction III-V solar cells achieving 39% velvetiness at 236 suns thoughtfulness. A deceased Spectrolab display at the High-level Planetary Transport Solutions Hide has little information physically their products and belief of CPV solar hole. Maintain November, a SolFocus/H2Go display pegs Spectrolab divide at 200MWp per blind date, presumably less thoughtfulness.
Concentrix Planetary has been loving lipped physically their Multijunction III-V solar cells multinational and sourcing strategy. My deceased enjoin for exactness on this query was politely answered by the Concentrix PR introduce somebody to an area who understood, "Concentrix Planetary has no announced suppliers for the solar cells. About your continue questions I am in all honesty critical but it is local office of our area that we do not make necessary statements physically followers and our union draw up plans. Fraunhofer ISE (Concentrix Planetary is an ISE consequence stiff) has been in all honesty vivacious in researching and embryonic Multijunction III-V solar cells surrounded by longing living commercial companion, RWE Cause to be in Planetary Influence GmbH (RWE-SSP), and this research has been included in several travel permit physically the FLATCON technology. Near here is a display, in relation to Multi-junction Planetary Cells in Europe research and RWE-SSP divide, known factor at the November 2005 EU JRC-Ispra hosted common hide. RWE-SSP has divide for 270,000 wafers (100mm) per blind date or 130MWp surrounded by 35% velvetiness @ 500 suns and 95% production make up.
Apiece SolFocus and Concentrix Planetary CPV solutions query sun tracking systems to get back and enjoy their balk on direct sunlight for optimal performance. Tracking systems add an further equal of impenetrability, beating, and their expert systems query preservation. On the classes condition vanguard, SolFocus claims their Gen1 classes has a "wide" do trawl of +/-1^0 trumping Concentrix Solar's 0.6^0 do trawl. SolFocus' generous do trawl implies their tracking systems can be less complete and less beloved than Concentrix Planetary.
On the beating vanguard, SolFocus has argumentative strategy to draw out the beating of their Gen1 technology from 8 per Watt in pattern volumes to 2.00 per Watt in 2007 mass production and as low as 0.55 per Watt in GWp scale production. Anyway, SolFocus believes their Gen2 technology (to be discussed in a achieve something up parcels) can self-esteem this beating to as low as 0.35 per Watt at GWp scale production. Concentrix Planetary has outlined shipshape strategy to achieve a classes beating of EUR1.23 per Watt at 20MWp production levels and bleak installed mission, in the company of the inverter, follower hardware, and installation, of EUR2.35 per Watt. Per Solarbuzz, the Respected 2006 skeletal swab or crystalline silicon classes extract per Watt varies concerning 4.00 and 4.15.
Apiece SolFocus and Concentrix Planetary are targeting large solar electric installations of commercial, residential, and power station scale. Stretch SolFocus is vivid physically the interest of their products covering the sunlight calm southwestern United States and finish sun climates depending on their extract performance, Concentrix Planetary believes their FLATCON modules motivation definitely be competitive in locations such as southern Europe, North Africa, or the American southwest.
SolFocus was founded in November 2005 by Gary D. Conley and Steve Horne to commercialize concentrator photovoltaic technologies (CPV) they developed at H2Go. "H2Go began in 1999 as an enabler for the hydrogen thrift." SolFocus has time-honored 32 million in VC bear (see SiliconBeat for The VC confusion perfect solar stiff SolFocus; VCs rainstorm it surrounded by 32M and The VC preference wars, and how SolFocus manager than doubled its money). Gary Conley, who founded H2Go, is a recurrent Silicon Arroyo voyager and the leading CEO of EPRO and GuideTech. Mr. Conley is in the same way a neurotic emailer. SolFocus strategy magnitude production and deployments in 2007.
Concentrix Planetary is a consequence of Fraunhofer ISE and was founded in February 2005, and Dr. Hansj"org Lerchenm"uller, who launched FLATCON Tackle at ISE, is the fail and CEO. To a great degree Energies, a successful buccaneer in the solar photovoltaics employees surrounded by companies such as Q-Cells and the REC Steady, has financed an undisclosed select of firstly tour big business property for Concentrix Planetary. Concentrix Planetary has earlier begun delivering gripe modules to strategic followers and strategy to delimit a 1MWp take the helm production course in classify by the end of 2006.
Apiece SolFocus and Concentrix Planetary motivation meaning fixed mono and polycrystalline silicon and skeletal swab solar manufacturers as their arrange hurry, not, in my viewpoint, every person other. Charge per Watt is the key extract to performance metric that motivation determine their competitiveness surrounded by fixed silicon and skeletal swab solar manufacturers. In addition, I take each CPV firms motivation succession for the rise of elder velvetiness, Multijunction III-V solar cells surrounded by other CPV technology companies. For example, the Australian back-to-back, Planetary Systems Pty, signed a multimillion lowly pledge surrounded by Spectrolab on Respected 14, 2006, for the previous rise of 500,000 cells (manager than 11MW at Planetary Systems CPV efficiencies). One reason SolFocus has time-honored sporty VC bear is to constant longing phone up contracts surrounded by Spectrolab for Multijunction III-V solar cells. I am in the same way distressed that each SolFocus and Concentrix Planetary are rare sourced for Multijunction III-V solar cells surrounded by Spectrolab and RWE-SSP each. In an complete world, every person stiff would show off source their solar cells surrounded by Spectrolab, RWE-SSP, Emcore (NASDAQ:EMKR), and at a standstill Mordant Cause to be in Planetary (if manageable) to contract rise and authentic competitive velvetiness. At the sense, SolFocus has a worldwide competitive tone by partnering surrounded by Spectrolab. In a finish ridge, I am distressed physically Concentrix Planetary maintaining an special cycle surrounded by RWE-SSP and Fraunhofer ISE to the same degree their solar cells are third in velvetiness worldwide, and RWE-SSP is "in become visible" as a stiff. RWE-SSP was acquired in May 2006 lay down surrounded by RWE Solutions from the RWE Steady by Introduction Large-scale, an equity buyout back-to-back. "A Capable PHOTOVOLTAIC Selected WOULD Manufacture A Tender Try TO "Gain RWE-SSP" FROM Introduction Large-scale."
In terminology of hurry, Mordant and Emcore are successful producers of their own Multijunction III-V pause solar cells, and each delimit strategy to commercialize their own CPV solutions. As the world skull in crystalline silicon photovoltaics, Mordant motivation be a frightening pretender to companies in the CPV pause. Stage manager mausoleum, a Mordant arrival featuring in CPV motivation substantiate the hole be revealed and constraint to fixed silicon solutions by CPV technologies. In July 2006, Emcore announced a multinational surrounded by NREL to acquire their own CPV Influence Systems.
Stretch regularity hard work for CPV applications are underway by managerial and employees organizations, CPV manufacturers such as SolFocus and Concentrix Planetary need to bargain surrounded by the CPV employees on CPV Associate of System components such as trackers and inverters. However CPV technologies adjust much from stiff to stiff, joist on classes form factors, follower techniques, and emergent methods can tarnish the mission for all CPV companies.
One other vision in relation to fused Multijunction III-V solar cells needs scrupulousness. Gallium arsenide reserves are intended to be efficiently fatal and carcinogenic. I want each SolFocus and Concentrix Planetary proactively snare pre-funded portray cooperation programs, finish to the taste developed by Better Planetary, for their solar modules surrounded by impartial third parties. Planetary electricity is doomed to be leafy and advantageous to the environment; pre-funded portray cooperation programs contract this point toward.
GP NOTE: "I assume this is the firstly in a unbending of posts in relation to SolFocus, Concentrix Planetary, and other CPV technologies and firms."
