Tracking integration in concentrating photovoltaics using laterally moving optics

In this work the concept of tracking-integrated concentrating photovoltaics is studied and its capabilities are quantitatively analyzed. The design strategy desists from ideal concentration performance to reduce the external mechanical solar tracking effort in favor of a compact installation, possibly resulting in lower overall cost. The proposed optical design is based on an extended Simultaneous Multiple Surface (SMS) algorithm and uses two laterally moving plano-convex lenses to achieve high concentration over a wide angular range of +/- 24 degrees. It achieves 500x concentration, outperforming its conventional concentrating photovoltaic counterparts on a polar aligned single axis tracker. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America