Concentrated Photovoltaics
Doubling the efficiency of photovoltaic systems
Your challenge :
One key driver of more sustainable global development is continuous improvement of existing technologies. For several decades now, France has been on the cutting edge of photovoltaic solar energy, ranking seventh worldwide in 2009. But in 2010, electricity supplied by photovoltaic solar installations represented only negligible amounts, accounting for less than 1% of the French energy mix, despite “a five-fold increase in production since 2000”. Complex manufacturing and production processes mean that this source of energy is still very expensive, given its relative inefficiency. To enhance the attractiveness of photovoltaic solar energy, Assystem is developing a concentrated photovoltaic technology that doubles the performance of existing systems.
Our added value :
The technology developed by Assystem using the latest innovations in optical, thermal and photovoltaic technology concentrates sunlight by a factor of nearly 1,000 on a 1-square-centimetre multi-junction cell. Leveraging the entire solar spectrum, from infrared to ultraviolet, each cell in the system supplies nearly 34 watts.
Since they have to continuously face the sun, the photovoltaic subassemblies are installed on a motorized tracking frame offering highly accurate positioning.
The result is a working efficiency of 27 to 28%, compared to 14 to 17% for the best available conventional systems, thanks to state-of-the-art innovations in the area of concentration, heat dissipation efficiency, and optical and functional performance.