Value of module efficiency in real operating conditions for low energy cost PV systems

Reduced energy cost is essential for photovoltaics (PV) to be adopted as one of the major electricity sources for terrestrial applications. It is quantitatively proved in this work that PV module efficiency is a critical factor in achieving low cost solar electricity. Especially, for concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) to be competitive with flat plate PV, its module efficiency must be greater than 30% even if the tracker price can be cut by 50%. After recognizing the significance of CPV module efficiency, the efficiency losses in a currently existing high concentration (high-X) CPV module are analyzed under real operating conditions. Based on the understanding of the efficiency loss mechanisms, potential solutions are proposed.