Optimum design of V-trough concentrator for photovoltaic applications

This paper presents new simulation of a V-trough concentrator used with photovoltaic module. OptisWorks, an advanced ray tracing software was used to determine the optimum design of the V-trough concentrator. In this paper, the effects of V-trough geometric parameters such as slant height of the reflectors and vertex angle on the trough optical performance in terms of effective concentration ratio and irradiance distribution were investigated to determine the optimum design. In this simulation, a V-trough concentrator with four geometric concentration ratios (1.5×, 2×, 2.5×, and 3×) and three reflective materials (ideal reflector R100%, anodized aluminium R90%, and mirror R80%) were investigated. The simulation results of the effective concentration ratio using OptisWorks compared with published experimental showing good agreement with about 1.99% deviation. Results show that the optimum vertex angles of the V-trough concentrator for 1.5×, 2×, 2.5×, and 3× are 30°, 30°, 22°, and 19°, respectively.