Concentrated Solar Power with multijunction cells

Hello,

The default module is a good starting point to see what the data should look like. There is not enough information on the Arima data sheet to provide all of the inputs SAM requires, but you may be able to approximate it by using the cell efficiency they report (39%) as the reference efficiency, and adjusting the cell area, number of cells, and loss factors to achieve the maximum power they report.

Best regards,
Paul.

Hello,

SAM assumes that the system is always connected to the grid, and reduces the AC "System power generated" to account for the require tracking power. You can see this by making a copy of your case (click Duplicate on the Case menu), and setting Single tracker power (fraction of DC nameplate) on the Array page to zero. Then run a simulation, and on the Time series tab of the Results page, compare the "AC gross" and "System power generated" values of the two cases to see the impact.

Unfortunately, we do not have documentation of the HCPV model aside from the information in the Help system, and content of discussions on this forum.

Best regards,
Paul.

Dear Zaynab,

In SAM, you enter the cell efficiency as a function of direct normal irradiance (DNI) in the plane of the module surface, but it also shows you the equivalent sun concentration calculated from the concentration ratio you provide at the top of the input page.

If your data sheet shows efficiency as a function of concentration, you can convert the values to DNI using the following equation:

DNI (W/m2) = Concentration (suns) / Concentration Ratio * 1000 (W/m2/sun)

Best regards,
Paul.