Finite element modeling and experimental validation of concentrator photovoltaic module based on surface Mount technology

The development of renewable and clean energy such as concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) has been spurred by the scarcity of fossil fuels and their impact on global warming. However, CPV is expensive and complex to assemble, which has led to the creation of a new assembly method based on Surface Mount Technologies (SMT). In this study, we used Finite Element Model (FEM) to investigate and optimize thermal performance of such an assembly. We first fabricated and characterized a 4-solar cell CPV SMT module to enable comparison between experimental and FEM predicted temperatures. Following this validation, a parametric study was conducted. The model was extended to an infinite number of solar cells to guide the design of a large-scale SMT-based CPV module. The optimal dimensions were determined by identifying the module parameters that affect cell temperature, such as the area and thickness of the metal ribbon on the backside of the solar cell and metal coverage on the transparent glass Printed Circuit Board (PCB) on the frontside of the solar cell. Furthermore, the results of the parametric simulation have confirmed our previous findings, indicating that the module assembled using the simplified SMT method, with optimal dimensions of the metal ribbon, exhibits superior heat dissipation compared to the standard design based on wire bonding, due to the presence of metal on the glass printed circuit board. Further, this work demonstrates that by optimizing the SMT design with FEM, the temperature of the solar cells can be maintained below 80 °C.