Volume holographic lens spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system for high energy yield with direct and diffuse solar illumination

Benjamin D. Chrysler; Yuechen Wu; Zhengshan Yu; Raymond K. Kostuk

doi:10.1117/12.2273204

25 August 2017 Volume holographic lens spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system for high energy yield with direct and diffuse solar illumination

Benjamin D. Chrysler, Yuechen Wu, Zhengshan Yu, Raymond K. Kostuk

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 10368, Next Generation Technologies for Solar Energy Conversion VIII; 103680G (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2273204
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2017, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

In this paper a prototype spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system based on volume holographic lenses (VHL) is designed, fabricated and tested. In spectrum-splitting systems, incident sunlight is divided in spectral bands for optimal conversion by a set of single-junction PV cells that are laterally separated. The VHL spectrumsplitting system in this paper has a form factor similar to conventional silicon PV modules but with higher efficiencies (>30%). Unlike many other spectrum-splitting systems that have been proposed in the past, the system in this work converts both direct and diffuse sunlight while using inexpensive 1-axis tracking systems. The VHL system uses holographic lenses that focus light at a transition wavelength to the boundary between two PV cells. Longer wavelength light is dispersed to the narrow bandgap cell and shorter wavelength light to the wide bandgap cell. A prototype system is designed with silicon and GaAs PV cells. The holographic lenses are fabricated in Covestro Bayfol HX photopolymer by ‘stitching’ together lens segments through sequential masked exposures. The PV cells and holographic lenses were characterized and the data was used in a raytrace simulation and predicts an improvement in total power output of 15.2% compared to a non-spectrum-splitting reference. A laboratory measurement yielded an improvement in power output of 8.5%.

Citation Download Citation

Benjamin D. Chrysler, Yuechen Wu, Zhengshan Yu, and Raymond K. Kostuk "Volume holographic lens spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system for high energy yield with direct and diffuse solar illumination", Proc. SPIE 10368, Next Generation Technologies for Solar Energy Conversion VIII, 103680G (25 August 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2273204

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