Design and analysis of hybrid concentrator photovoltaic module combining low-concentration static lens and luminescent solar concentrator for automobile applications.

A hybrid concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) module combining low-concentration static lens and luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) was proposed to achieve the desirable characteristics for automobile applications (i.e., high electricity yields, compatibility to 3D curved surface, light weight, and aesthetics). The ray-tracing simulation results demonstrated that the annual optical efficiency of the hybrid CPV module with geometrical concentration ratio of 3.5× both for upper CPV, employing crossed compound parabolic concentrator lens, and lower LSC achieves to 58.5% based on the annual solar energy on the horizontal surface at Tokyo (Japan). The indoor experiment using a prototype module confirmed the feasibility of angle-dependent color switching of the lens aperture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]