Soliant energy concentrator module performance and comparison to silicon flat panel performance

Soliant Energy, Inc. is producing 500X CPV systems for commercial rooftop applications. Our unique application requires an accurate method for comparing CPV panel performance to silicon and thin-film flat panel performance. The true metric for comparing rooftop CPV to flat panel can only be kWh/m²/yr. It is possible to calculate module level temperature coefficients for the output power and calculate a power rating comparable to an STC rating for this module. However, the best comparison is to measure outside, side by side with a flat panel. This paper presents performance data collected at Sandia National Laboratories from November 2008 to January 2009, and at Soliant´s Monrovia facility in March and April 2009, showing the enhanced performance of our CPV system under real world conditions.