Flat Fresnel doublets made of PMMA and PC: combining low cost production and very high concentration ratio for CPV

Opt Express. 2011 May 9:19 Suppl 3:A280-94. doi: 10.1364/OE.19.00A280.

Abstract

The linear chromatic aberration (LCA) of several combinations of polycarbonates (PCs) and poly (methyl methacrylates) (PMMAs) as singlet, hybrid (refractive/diffractive) lenses and doublets operating with wavelengths between 380 and 1600 nm - corresponding to a typical zone of interest of concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) - are compared. Those comparisons show that the maximum theoretical concentration factor for singlets is limited to about 1000 × at normal incidence and that hybrid lenses and refractive doublets present a smaller LCA increasing the concentration factor up to 5000 × and 2 × 10(6) respectively. A new achromatization equation more useful than the Abbé equation is also presented. Finally we determined the ideal position of the focal point as a function of the LCA and the geometric concentration which maximizes the flux on the solar cell.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't