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Concentrating photovoltaics for building integration can be successfully carried out with Holographic Optical Elements (HOEs) because of their behavior analogous to refractive optical elements and their tuning ability to the spectral range that the photovoltaic (PV) cell is sensitive to. That way, concentration of spectral ranges that would cause overheating of the cell is avoided. Volume HOEs are usually chosen because they provide high efficiencies. However, their chromatic selectivity is also very high, and only a small part of the desired spectral range reaches the PV cell. A novel approach is theoretically and experimentally explored to overcome this problem: the use of HOEs operating in the transition regime, which yield lower chromatic selectivity while keeping rather high efficiencies. A model that considers the recording material's response, by determining the index modulation reached for each spatial frequency and exposure dosage, has been developed. It has been validated with experimental measurements of three cylindrical holographic lenses with different spatial frequency ranges recorded in Bayfol HX photopolymer. Simulations of systems comprising two lenses and a mono-c Si PV cell are carried out with the standard AM 1.5D solar spectrum. Promising results are obtained when using the system with lower spatial frequencies lenses: a total current intensity equal to 3.72 times the one that would be reached without the concentrator.

Volume Holographic Optical Elements (HOEs) present interesting characteristics for photovoltaic applications as they can select spectrum for concentrating the target bandwidth and avoiding non-desired wavelengths, which can cause the decrease of the performance on the cell, for instance by overheating it. Volume HOEs have been recorded on Bayfol HX photopolymer to test the suitability of this material for solar concentrating photovoltaic systems. The HOEs were recorded at 532 nm and provided a dynamic range, reaching close to 100% efficiency at 800 nm. The diffracted spectrum had a FWHM of 230 nm when illuminating at Bragg angle. These characteristics prove HOEs recorded on Bayfol HX photopolymer are suitable for concentrating solar light onto photovoltaic cells sensitive to that wavelength range.

A ray tracing algorithm is developed to analyze the energy performance of transmission and phase volume holographic lenses that operate with broadband illumination. The agreement between the experimental data and the theoretical treatment has been tested. The model has been applied to analyze the optimum recording geometry for solar concentration applications.

A compound holographic optical element to generate achromatic vortices with high efficiency, based on the combination of two volume phase holograms, is designed and constructed. This element is compact and easy to align. It has high damage threshold, so it can be used with ultraintense laser pulses.