Concentrator photovoltaic reliability testing at extreme concentrations up to 2000 suns

Abstract

Practical concentrator photovoltaic systems operating at high solar concentration levels up to 2000 suns experience large thermal and electrical loads in addition to large power density transients under routine operation. These systems require efficient cooling systems to manage the associated incident power densities up to 200 W/cm2. Photovoltaic cells and thermal interface materials experience considerable stress under these load conditions. Reliability data is sparse for operation above 500 suns. We present high power test results for a commercial triple junction cell cooled through a high performance metal thermal interface using active liquid cooling methods for power densities up to 200 W/cm2. ©2009 IEEE.