Wide Angle Self-Tracking Concentrator Photovoltaics

The use of concentrating optics to reduce the area of photovoltaic cells needed in solar power modules has the potential to reduce overall system costs, making solar energy less expensive and speeding its widespread adoption as a cost-effective and sustainable power source. An ideal concentrating module would be flat, lightweight, low-cost, and compatible with standard mounting (for example, on rooftops), while still providing high levels of concentration. To-date, no design has been able to meet these goals, as all systems with medium or high concentration have required bulky and complex mechanical tracking equipment to maintain precise alignment with the sun. Glint Photonics, Inc. proposes to develop a new class of solar concentrators based on reactive optics: materials with optical properties that adjust automatically to solar incidence. Embedding these materials within the concentrator eliminates the need for precision mechanical trackers because the tracking function is instead provided automatically within the device; this enables high concentration levels to be achieved within inexpensive flat modules designed for standard mounting. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits The self-tracking concentrator is predicted to result in solar power module costs as low as $0.35 per peak watt, a savings of approximately 50% to 75% compared to current modules. It is designed for low-cost manufacturing using a continuous roll process featuring wide assembly tolerances. The cost reduction enabled by this technology can spur rapid growth of photovoltaic power usage, bringing wide-ranging benefits to the environment and to national security, and triggering large-scale job growth in the solar power industry.