Improved solar illumination collection using holographic light management techniques

Abstract

Traditional silicon photovoltaic modules have some inactive module surface area (IMSA) that are not covered by the solar cells due to the shading of bus bars, finger contacts, and the unused space between the octagonal solar cells. Collecting the solar power falling onto the IMSA will increase the overall energy yield and potentially decrease the $/kW-hr rating for the PV system. Therefore, we proposed a low-cost holographic light management technique which combines the holographic optical elements (HOEs) and a white Lambertian scatter surface. Simulation and comparison are performed for three different light collection systems. The results show that 6.40% more light collection efficiency can be achieved by using HOEs combined with a white scatter surface.