Numerical Investigation of the Opto-Electric and Thermal Performance of a Newly Enhanced Double V-Trough Low Concentration Photovoltaic System for Sustainable Solar Energy Utilization

The global energy demand is experiencing a rapid surge, necessitating a heightened focus on renewable energy sources for a sustainable future. Among these sources, solar energy has emerged as a promising candidate; however, it often suffers from intermittent and unreliability issues. In light of these challenges, implementing low concentrating photovoltaic (LCPV) systems presents a potential solution for enhancing solar energy utilization and improving efficiency. In the present work, a numerical investigation of the opto-thermoelectric performance of different types of V-trough-based concentrators is performed. A new Enhanced Double V-trough Concentrator (EDVC) design is proposed using COMSOL Multiphysics simulations and tested to enhance the overall efficiencies of such technology, contributing to more reliable and cost-effective solar energy harvesting. This advancement aims to support the transition toward sustainable and scalable photovoltaic solutions. The overall performance of the EDVC is compared against the existing V-trough designs, i.e., the conventional V-trough, double V-trough, and pyramidal concentrators. The numerically obtained findings show that the EDVC can achieve the highest optical efficiency and optical concentration ratio of 89% and 4.77 suns, respectively. Moreover, the short-circuit current and output power of the EDVC are higher than those of conventional designs without concentration by 488% and 450%, respectively, despite an open-circuit voltage drop of 11%.