Concentrating Photovoltaic Module Testing at NREL's Concentrating Solar Radiation Users Facility

There has been much recent interest in photovoltaic modules designed to operate with concentrated sunlight (>100 suns). Concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technology offers an exciting new opportunity as a viable alternative to dish Stirling engines. Advantages of CPV include potential for >40% cell efficiency in the long term (25% now), no moving parts, no intervening heat transfer surface,near-ambient temperature operation, no thermal mass, fast response, concentration reduces cost of cells relative to optics, and scalable to a range of sizes. Over the last few years, we have conducted testing of several CPV modules for DOE's Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) program. The testing facilities are located at the Concentrating Solar Radiation Users Facility (CRULF) and consist the 10kW High-Flux Solar Furnace (HFSF) and a 14m2 Concentrating Technologies, LLC (CTEK) dish. This paper will primarily describe the test capabilities; module test results will be detailed in the presentation.