Design and optimization of a printed circuit board for a photovoltaic and thermal linear solar concentrator

In this paper a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) utilized to enhance the overall performances of a photovoltaic (PV) and thermal concentrators is presented. A Printed Circuit Board has been studied for linear solar concentrators. The concentrator analyzed is based on a single axis tracking system. Because of this, the latter is affected by end losses and, therefore, main attention has been devoted to the design of linear concentrator collector in order to minimize these effects. Design and optimization details for the latter collector are given in the paper. The solutions derived to increase the electrical and thermal power production are also presented. The proposed PCB increases the electrical and thermal power production under critical operation of a linear concentrator such as shadowings and thermal exchanges. The design and optimization has been fulfilled through an electrical model and simulation of the concentration PV cell. The board presents a proper bypass diodes configuration and a "low-thermal resistance" that achieves the electrical and thermal production improvement respectively.