Low cost reliable highly concentrating photovoltaics - a reality

Highly concentrating photovoltaic systems (HCPV) based on III-V multi-junction solar cells entered the PV market recently. Since 2008, HCPV power plants operate in various countries and valuable experiences could be gained. This paper gives an overview on Soitec´s experiences, the lessons learned and the perspective on the cost competitiveness of HCPV. The costs the newest Concentrix CPV system CX-S530 were reduced significantly by a much larger module and a larger tracker, as well as by a much simplified cabling and tubing. A strong emphasis is put on the design for reliability, the role of process control for reliability, the reliability testing results and the field experience with respect to reliability. Soitec has installations on 20 locations in four continents. The systems operate in very different climatic conditions. So far, no module degradation could be measured or observed in the field after 4 years of operation and there is no field return due to degradation after in total one million module operation months.