CFD to predict temperature profile for scale up of a new linear concentrating photovoltaic receiver

Abstract

The high production cost of solar cells has been a major hindrance to the photovoltaic technology's market penetration. Concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technology uses concentrated sunlight to achieve a cost-effective solar energy. However, operating temperature of solar cells increases significantly as sunlight is densely concentrated, so thermal management is an important issue in the development of concentrating photovoltaic systems. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has the potential to assist in the specification of operating conditions and designs of the CPV cooling systems that minimise the temperature and temperature gradients of the solar module in the PV receiver. This paper reports the construction of a 10-silicon CPV cell linear liquid-immersed solar receiver and a CFD model of this receiver using the commercial code, Fluent 6.3. Model results for the 10-cell module in the receiver are reported.