POLYGLASS

Development of a new method to produce high efficiency solar concentrators based on polymer casted directly on glass

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'To develop a production method for manufacturing of optical lenses with micro structured surface and extreme high precision of details in large format. The Developed Product shall be utilized to improve the efficiency of Solar collectors. The primary target is the Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) market. Today the CPV manufacturer use concentrating optics made from PMMA (Acrylic) or silicon on glass. The disadvantage by using PMMA is the expected lifetime of the material. When PMMA is exposed to continues UV radiation is the expected lifetime according to leading producers of PMMA limited to 15 years. It might also be expected that the light transmission will be significant reduced during the lifetime. The Concentrator optics in a CPV module make up approximately 23% of the cost for 10 x concentration system. It is therefore essential for the CPV market to have access to Concentrator optics in large format in order to move from the development stage to large scale deployment. CPV modules of today are using an average concentration ratio in the range of 300: to 500:1. The trend within CPV is going towards higher concentration ratio, studies has shown 2 junction solar cell with an efficiency of > 31% @ 3000:1 concentration ratio. With a solar cell size of 5.5 x 5.5 mm2 is the dimension of the concentrator lens approximately 300 x 300 mm2 @ 3000:1 concentration ratio. The purpose of the concentrator lens is to focus all the light on the solar cells surface, is it extremely important to avoid warping of the substrate used to carry the actual lens surface. By using polymer on a well known material such as glass can the warping be avoided. In systems based on PMMA lenses will the exterior surface absorb moisture faster than the surface facing the solar cell, which will cause the entire lens to deflect significantly. This will change to focal point of the lens, which will cause lower energy production.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Researchers have developed a prototype production method for the manufacture of optical lenses that would improve the efficiency of solar collectors. The lenses themselves have a micro-structured surface that provides extreme precision, allowing for highly accurate control of incoming light.