Durability of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Lenses Used in Concentrating Photovoltaic Technology (Revised) (Presentation)

Conference · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2012

OSTI ID:1029419

Miller, David C.; Carloni, Joseph D.; Pankow, Joel W.; Gjersing, Erica L.; To, Bobby; Packard, Corinne E.; Kennedy, Cheryl E.; Kurtz, Sarah R.

Concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technology recently gained interest based on its expected low levelized cost of electricity, high efficiency, and scalability. Many CPV systems employ Fresnel lenses composed of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) to obtain a high optical flux density on the cell. The optical and mechanical durability of these lenses, however, is not well established relative to thedesired surface life of 30 years. Our research aims to quantify the expected lifetime of PMMA in key market locations (FL, AZ, and CO).

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1029419
• Report Number(s): NREL/PR-5200-53361; TRN: US201123%%282
• Resource Relation: Conference: Presented at the ATLAS/NIST Conference on Photovoltaic Materials Durability, 27-28 October 2011, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Related Information: NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory); Updated the content in a couple slides, based on the review of the pending accompanying paper (conference date same as October 2011).
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
ARIZONA
COLORADO
CONCENTRATOR SOLAR CELLS
EFFICIENCY
FLORIDA
FLUX DENSITY
FORECASTING
MARKET
LENSES
PMMA
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
SERVICE LIFE
CPV
concentrating photovoltaics (CPV)
durability
lifetime