FLATCON® CPV Module Technology: A New Design based on the Evaluation of 10 Years of Outdoor Measurement Data

In this paper, we present our experience in designing FLATCON® concentrator modules. The FLATCON® technology uses silicone-on-glass (SoG) Fresnel lenses and solar cells mounted to a metal heat distributor on a glass rear plate. During the past two decades, various FLATCON® module designs have been investigated. The first FLATCON® modules consisted of lenses with 16 cm² and GaAs single-junction solar cells with a diameter of 2 to 4 mm. In 2007, the first triple-junction solar cells with a diameter of 2.3 mm were integrated into FLATCON-type modules. The results of the test module ISE049T are discussed in this paper in detail. It was measured on the test tracker in Freiburg for more than 10 years. Moreover, the latest FLATCON® module design is presented together with the major manufacturing steps.