Concentrix maintains 23% efficiency
The company’s 5.4 kW demonstration system, located near Seville, reached 23% AC efficiency. Now, its much larger power plant, operated in collaboration with Abengoa Solar, is repeating that achievement on a regular basis – when skies are clear.
The 2 MW facility in Casquemada, also near Seville, features both conventional silicon modules and CPV systems, and is one of the only plants to combine the two.
However, the Concentrix systems provide only 5% of the total power, or 100 kW, at the facility. The Freiburg-based firm says that the impressive efficiency figure will increase significantly once its new generation of Flatcon modules come into use.
First-generation modules are still being used at Casquemada, each of which provides 48 W. “The new CX-75 modules have a power of 75 W and achieve an average efficiency of 27.2%,” claimed Concentrix.
Another pioneering CPV company, USbased SolFocus, recently became the first to meet the IEC 62108 standard, with its SF-1000P modules. Such approval is seen as a crucial part of CPV industry maturation, as the technology vies to gain a foothold in an increasingly competitive market.
“We have proved that CPV can yield nearly twice the efficiency of traditional PV systems, but meeting the IEC’s rigorous CPV requirements proves that SolFocus systems can perform consistently across a variety of climates and environments,” said Mark Crowley, SolFocus’ CEO.
