Simulating the annual energy yield of a rotationally asymmetrical optical concentrator.

This paper simulates the annual energy yield of a concentrator called the rotationally asymmetrical dielectric totally internally reflective concentrator (RADTIRC). One specific design of the RADTIRC is assumed to be installed in Berlin/Brandenburg, Germany. Simulation and experimental work have been carried out to determine the optical concentration gain under direct and diffuse radiations. Based on the analysis, it was found that the yearly energy yield was increased by a factor of 2.29 when the RADTIRC-PV module was used when compared with the non-concentrating PV module

Annual prediction output of an RADTIRC-PV module

The number of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations has been increasing worldwide but the high capital cost of installation continues to be the main challenge, particularly in many developing countries. The solar concentrator, a device that focuses the sunlight onto a small area, has the potential to minimize the use of expensive PV material while maintaining the system's performance, ultimately bringing down its overall cost. This study aims to predict the annual electrical output of a specific concentrator design called the rotationally asymmetrical dielectric totally internally reflecting concentrator (RADTIRC). The aforementioned design is assumed to be installed in Berlin/Brandenburg, Germany. First, a short review of concentrators is provided. Next, a description of the RADTIRC and the previous research that revolved around it are provided. Afterwards, the key parameters that are needed to determine the annual electrical output of the RADTIRC are explained before presenting the results of the simulations. It was found that the yearly energy yield was increased by a factor of 2.29 when the RADTIRC-PV module was used when compared with the non-concentrating PV module

Performance analysis of a novel rotationally asymmetrical compound parabolic concentrator

The low-concentration photovoltaic (LCPV) system has been identified as one of the potential solutions in lowering the overall installation cost of a building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system. This paper evaluates the performance of a novel type of LCPV concentrator known as the rotationally asymmetrical compound parabolic concentrator (RACPC). A specific RACPC design with a geometrical concentration ratio of 3.6675× was fabricated and integrated with a 1 cm by 1 cm monocrystalline laser grooved buried contact silicon solar cell. This design was tested indoors to evaluate its current–voltage (I–V), angular response and thermal characteristics. Under standard test conditions, it was found that the RACPC increases the short circuit current by 3.01× and the maximum power by 3.33× when compared with a bare solar cell. The opto-electronic gain from the experiment showed good agreement when compared with the simulation results, with a deviation of 11%

Optimisation of the performance of a novel rotationally asymmetrical optical concentrator design for building integrated photovoltaic system

Solar energy is one of the renewable energy sources that has shown promising potential in addressing the world's energy needs, particularly via the solar PV (photovoltaic) technology. However, the high cost of installation is still being considered as the main obstacle to the widespread adoption of solar PV system. The use of solar concentrators is one of the solutions that could help to produce lower cost solar PV systems. One of the existing concentrator designs is known as the RADTIRC (rotationally asymmetrical dielectric totally internally reflecting concentrator) which was developed in GCU (Glasgow Caledonian University) since 2010. This paper aims at optimising the existing RADTIRC prototype by increasing its electrical output whilst keeping the cost of the system at minimum. This is achieved by adopting a better material and a different technique to fabricate the concentrator. The optimised RADTIRC prototype was fabricated from PMMA (polymethyl-methacrylate) using injection moulding. It was found that the optimised RADTIRC-PV prototype generated an opto-electronic gain of 4.48 when compared with the bare cell under STC (standard test conditions). A comparison with the old prototype showed that the optimised RADTIRC-PV prototype increased the short circuit current by 13.57\% under STC

Implications of robot actions for human perception: how do we represent actions of the observed robots?

Social robotics aims at developing robots that are to assist humans in their daily lives. To achieve this aim, robots must act in a comprehensible and intuitive manner for humans. That is, humans should be able to cognitively represent robot actions easily, in terms of action goals and means to achieve them. This yields a question of how actions are represented in general. Based on ideomotor theories (Greenwald Psychol Rev 77:73–99, 1970) and accounts postulating common code between action and perception (Hommel et al. Behav Brain Sci 24:849–878, 2001) as well as empirical evidence (Wykowska et al. J Exp Psychol 35:1755–1769, 2009), we argue that action and perception domains are tightly linked in the human brain. The aim of the present study was to examine if robot actions would be represented similarly, and in consequence, elicit similar perceptual effects, as representing human actions. Our results showed that indeed robot actions elicited perceptual effects of the same kind as human actions, arguing in favor of that humans are capable of representing robot actions in a similar manner as human actions. Future research will aim at examining how much these representations depend on physical properties of the robot actor and its behavior