Experimental characterisation of an asymmetric compound parabolic photovoltaic concentrator designed for building integration in the UK

A novel non-imaging asymmetric compound parabolic photovoltaic concentrator (ACPPVC) has been designed, constructed and experimentally characterised at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland (54°36'N, 5°37'W). Different numbers of PV strings connected in series were experimentally characterised under outdoor conditions both with and without concentrators. Transient I-V curves for each set of parameter data points were determined and the maximum power generation, fill factor and efficiency of the system calculated for each individual I-V curve. The experiments showed that the use of an ACPPVC increased the maximum power point by 62% (i.e. the power by a factor of 1.62) when compared with a similar non-concentrating PV panel of identical cell area.