Cogeneration With Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems

Simultaneous production of electrical and high-grade thermal energy is proposed with a Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal (CPVT) system operating at elevated temperature. The CPVT may operate at temperatures above 100°C and the thermal energy can drive processes such as refrigeration, desalination, and steam production. An example of CPVT with single-effect absorption cooling is investigated in detail. The results show that under a wide range of economic conditions, the combined solar cooling and power generation plant can be comparable and sometimes even significantly better than the conventional alternative.