Electrical and thermal characterization of a PV-CPC hybrid

Long term evaluation of an asymmetric CPC PV-thermal hybrid built for high latitudes, MaReCo (MaximumReflectorCollector), is performed in Lund, lat 55.7°, and this paper discusses output estimates and characteristics of the system. The output estimates are calculated using the MINSUN simulation program. To get the input for MINSUN, measurements were performed on two MaReCo prototypes. These measurements show that the front reflector collects most of the irradiation in the summer, and the back reflector in the spring and fall. Two different reflector materials were used, anodized aluminium and aluminium laminated steel. The steel based reflector was selected for its rigidness. The output estimates show no difference in yearly output between the two reflector materials, both back reflectors deliver 168 kW h/(m2 cell area) of electricity compared to 136 kW h/m2 cell area for cells without reflectors. The cells facing the front reflector deliver 205 kW h/(m2 cell area) of electricity. The estimated output of thermal energy was 145 kW h/(m2 glazed area) at 50 °C. The estimates show that the optimal placement of the photovoltaic cells is facing the front reflector, but having cells on both sides is in most cases the best option.