Minimum solar tracking system for a Fresnel lens-based LCPV

The aim of the work is to study a low concentration photovoltaic (LCPV) system based on a Fresnel lens with a plano-concave lens and reflective surfaces. The proposed system is aimed at working with single-junction polycrystalline silicon solar cells with a wider reception angle which reduces the energy consumption of the solar tracking system. A software for multiphysics simulations COMSOL was used to simulate the proposed LCPV system with a maximum concentration ratio (6.5), and calculations were carried out to determine the relative position of the lenses from the solar cell. The proposed LCPV system achieves higher acceptance angle (+9.1 degrees) and concentration acceptance angle product (0.447) compared to the conventional LCPV system (+3.1 degrees, 0.153). Calculations of the power consumption of a dual-axis solar tracker using the proposed optical system show a reduction in power consumption of 21 % in azimuth, 37 % in altitude, and 27 % overall when using the proposed optical system.