Volume holographic lens spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system for high energy yield with direct and diffuse solar illumination
Affiliation
Univ Arizona, Elect & Comp Engn DeptUniv Arizona, Coll Opt Sci
Issue Date
2017-08-25Keywords
spectrum splittingholographic optical elements
photovoltaics
Covestro Bayfol HX
diffuse sunlight
high efficiency
Metadata
Show full item recordPublisher
SPIE-INT SOC OPTICAL ENGINEERINGCitation
Benjamin D. Chrysler, Yuechen Wu, Zhengshan Yu, Raymond K. Kostuk, "Volume holographic lens spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system for high energy yield with direct and diffuse solar illumination", Proc. SPIE 10368, Next Generation Technologies for Solar Energy Conversion VIII, 103680G (25 August 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2273204; https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2273204Rights
© (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
In this paper a prototype spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system based on volume holographic lenses (VHL) is designed, fabricated and tested. In spectrum-splitting systems, incident sunlight is divided in spectral bands for optimal conversion by a set of single-junction PV cells that are laterally separated. The VHL spectrum-splitting system in this paper has a form factor similar to conventional silicon PV modules but with higher efficiencies (>30%). Unlike many other spectrum-splitting systems that have been proposed in the past, the system in this work converts both direct and diffuse sunlight while using inexpensive 1-axis tracking systems. The VHL system uses holographic lenses that focus light at a transition wavelength to the boundary between two PV cells. Longer wavelength light is dispersed to the narrow bandgap cell and shorter wavelength light to the wide bandgap cell. A prototype system is designed with silicon and GaAs PV cells. The holographic lenses are fabricated in Covestro Bayfol HX photopolymer by 'stitching' together lens segments through sequential masked exposures. The PV cells and holographic lenses were characterized and the data was used in a raytrace simulation and predicts an improvement in total power output of 15.2% compared to a non-spectrum-splitting reference. A laboratory measurement yielded an improvement in power output of 8.5%.ISSN
0277-786X1996-756X
Version
Final published versionSponsors
NSF/DOE ERC [EEC-1041895]; NSF [ECCS-1405619]; State of Arizona TRIF/WEES [5835204]; National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program [DGE-1143953]ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1117/12.2273204