Modelling and simulation of direct solar radiation for cost-effectiveness analysis of V-Trough photovoltaic devices

In the urge to make solar energy competitive enough to directly face fossil fuels, several approaches result crucial for their intended capacity to maximise the energy that can be produced with a given photovoltaic area. Low Concentration Photovoltaics (LCPV) and tracking methods can be integrated in V-Trough solar devices to increase their effective solar harvesting area through low-cost non-imaging optics. As a tool to support the design and simulation of such devices, this work proposes an analytical and numerical model that simulates the interactions of direct solar radiation with the V-Trough’s elements. The proposed model is design-oriented and was developed seeking high parameter flexibility, high geometrical detail and low computational demands. The model was experimentally validated through several simulations of V-Trough set-ups which results were compared against measurements with a testing platform. Through a non-parametric statistical analysis, the model proved to be satisfactory and highly accurate. Furthermore, the calculations regarding optical concentration performance were complemented with a cost analysis and integrated into a cost-effectiveness index. The results from this work serve as a useful modelling tool for designing and comparing alternatives of V-Trough solar devices. © 2016, Springer-Verlag France.