SOLER-BIENTZ, R. and GOMEZ-CASTRO, F., 2004. A computational model for estimating the performance of flat plane low concentration systems. IN: Proceedings of the 19th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Paris, France, 2004.
The implementation of PV systems is one of the feasible alternatives to meet the energy supply in
communities far from the conventional electric grid. Several studies have shown that a flat plane concentrator can
produce better electrical behaviour in a PV system, due to the reduction of the effective panel surface needed for the
operation of the system. As the cost of a PV system is strongly conditioned by the cost of the PV panels, it can lead
to an increase of the PV market. This work describes the computational model developed to represent the
concentration pattern over a collector, generated by a flat plane reflector. A useful 3D representation of the system
has been programmed to visualize the concentration system. The computational model was developed in
Mathematica Programming Language Environment. The simulation tool created shows that Mathematica is a quick
and powerful tool to represent the low-concentrating photovoltaic systems.
This conference paper was presented at the 19th EUPVSEC and is available from: www.photovoltaic-conference.com