Title :
The 25 kilowatt SolarRow: a building block for utility-scale concentrator systems
Author :
O´Neill, Mark J. ; McDanal, A.J.
Author_Institution :
ENTECH Inc., Keller, TX, USA
Abstract :
In the early 1990s, ENTECH developed a fourth-generation photovoltaic concentrator system, with technical and financial support by Sandia National Labs, the National Renewable Energy Lab, and the US Department of Energy. The fourth-generation system includes a mass-producible 21X line-focus concentrator module, a 72-module two-axis tracking array, and 12-VDC sun-tracking controls and drives. The new system, called SolarRow, represents an integrated, autonomous 25 kW array. In 1995, the first two utility-scale deployments of the SolarRow technology were implemented. A 100 kW solar power plant was deployed at CSW Solar Park near Ft. Davis, Texas. Another 100 kW solar power plant was deployed at TU Electric Energy Park in Dallas, Texas. Each of these power plants includes four SolarRows as the photovoltaic collector field. This paper describes the new SolarRow and presents its measured performance and energy economics
Keywords :
economics; solar cell arrays; solar cells; solar energy concentrators; 100 kW; 12 V; 21X line-focus concentrator module; 25 kW; CSW Solar Park; Dallas; ENTECH; Fort Davis; National Renewable Energy Lab; Sandia National Labs; SolarRow; TU Electric Energy Park; Texas; US Department of Energy; drives; energy economics; fourth-generation system; photovoltaic collector field; sun-tracking controls; two-axis tracking array; utility-scale concentrator systems; Aluminum; Apertures; Diodes; Heat sinks; Lenses; Optical receivers; Packaging; Photovoltaic systems; Solar energy; Solar power generation;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1996., Conference Record of the Twenty Fifth IEEE
Conference_Location :
Washington, DC
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3166-4
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1996.564428
