A solar concentrator is a system for concentrating solar energy.
Concentrators for solar panels.
Unlike conventional photovoltaic systems it uses lenses or curved mirrors to focus sunlight onto small highly efficient multi junction mj solar cells in addition cpv systems often use solar trackers and sometimes a cooling system to further.
This makes much more focused light come to each solar cell making the cells vastly more efficient.
Csp technologies can be used to generate electricity by converting energy from sunlight to power a turbine but it can also be used as heat in a variety of industrial applications like water desalination enhanced oil.
Concentrator photovoltaics cpv also known as concentration photovoltaics is a photovoltaic technology that generates electricity from sunlight.
It is usually an arrangement of aligned mirrors.
Solar concentrators are the devices that collect solar radiation and concentrate at a single focal point.
Concentrators work best when there is a single source of light and the concentrator can be pointed right at it.
Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat solar thermal energy which drives a heat engine usually a steam turbine connected to an electrical power.
Its operation is based on the exploitation of the reflection of the sun rays in a large area through reflective surfaces.
The devices are mainly comprised of series of lens or mirror assembly heat.
This concentrated solar power is used in thermal solar energy.
Solar concentrators put one of these lenses on top of every solar cell.
Therefore solar concentrating systems have been investigated for several decades for utilization of concentrated solar energy for high temperature application.