Optimal design of inverted truncated pyramid with Fresnel lens for concentrated photovoltaic Units

The aim of the presented work was to determine the optimum parameters of inverter truncated rectangular pyramid with Fresnel lenses. The use of secondary optical element (SOE) in a concentrated photovoltaic system can be effective in redirecting the sun light into the solar cell, increasing the concentration as well as improving the energy uniformity on the solar cell Ray tracing technique was used to simulate the optical characteristics of the CPV unit with various design parameters of the component. Finally, a typical concentrator was designed by using three possible materials, the Fused Silica, the BK7 and the PMMA. (paper)