A mirror-less design for micro-concentrator modules

The authors present a novel nonimaging optics design for a flat-plate concentrator PV power system. The design consists of a conventional primary/secondary lens combination, but uses aspheric and TIR (total internal reflection) lens components in the primary to reduce the focal length and, hence, the thickness of the whole module. Ray tracing simulations indicate that an acceptance angle in excess of /spl plusmn/2.6/spl deg/ can be achieved, which makes this design suitable for light-weight, low-cost tracking systems. The design also has the advantage of being mirror-less, avoiding all manufacturability and reliability issues associated with metallization processes as faced by previous low-profile designs.