Solar Energy Generation in Three Dimensions

TL;DR

This paper introduces three-dimensional photovoltaic structures that significantly increase solar energy density and stability, offering a promising approach for large-scale solar power generation without sun tracking.

Contribution

It demonstrates the design, computational analysis, and experimental validation of 3D PV structures that outperform flat panels in energy density and stability, without requiring sun tracking.

Findings

3D PV structures generate 2-20 times more energy density than flat panels.

They double peak power hours and reduce seasonal and weather variability.

3D designs enable new PV installation schemes and potentially lower-cost materials.

Abstract

We formulate, solve computationally and study experimentally the problem of collecting solar energy in three dimensions(1-5). We demonstrate that absorbers and reflectors can be combined in the absence of sun tracking to build three-dimensional photovoltaic (3DPV) structures that can generate measured energy densities (energy per base area, kWh/m2) higher by a factor of 2-20 than stationary flat PV panels, versus an increase by a factor of 1.3-1.8 achieved with a flat panel using dual-axis sun tracking(6). The increased energy density is countered by a higher solar cell area per generated energy for 3DPV compared to flat panel design (by a factor of 1.5-4 in our conditions), but accompanied by a vast range of improvements. 3DPV structures are steadier sources of solar energy generation at all latitudes: they can double the number of peak power generation hours and dramatically reduce the seasonal, latitude and weather variations of solar energy generation compared to a flat panel design. Self-supporting 3D shapes can create new schemes for PV installation and the increased energy density can facilitate the use of cheaper thin film materials in area-limited applications. Our findings suggest that harnessing solar energy in three dimensions can open new avenues towards Terawatt-scale generation.