Experimental comparison of a III:V triple-junction concentrator photovoltaic-thermoelectric (CPV-TE) hybrid module with commercial CPV and flat plate silicon modules

Concentrator Photovoltaic-Thermoelectric (CPV-TE) hybrid devices have the potential to address areas of limitation within concentrator photovoltaic devices, using the inherent flexibility and controllability of thermoelectrics. In this work, a full CPV-TE module was designed and fabricated using commercial Primary and Secondary Optical Elements (POEs and SOEs respectively). The SOE-CPV-TE hybrid receivers were characterized prior to integration within the module, and connected into a string of three receivers. The acceptance angle of the POE-SOE-CPV-TE hybrid module was experimentally characterized, and outdoor on-tracker data was obtained at the University of Jaén. For the first time, the performance of CPV-TE hybrid devices was evaluated within a 3-receiver string, and the efficiency of on-sun TE cooling was investigated.A preliminary break-even point was found at 0.3A, for active cooling verses non- cooling for the CPV-TE hybrid receivers. This highlights the future on-sun performance increases possible with further optimised CPV-TE module designs, including a low-power regime for optimised TE operation