CPV’s LCOE may fall as low as that for photovoltaic in 2020s

The German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and the US  National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, have compiled a study that describes the status of both the current market as well as the state-of-the-art for concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology.

This young technology has achieved tremendous progress and has the potential for delivering solar electricity at a cost-competitive level in sun-rich regions with high direct irradiation values. Recent progress in CPV technology is impressive; record efficiencies for modules (36.7%) and cells (46%) – both achieved by Fraunhofer ISE – go along with a remarkable growth of large field installations in recent years. The study gives an overview of all installations bigger than 1 MW, also of all companies active in the field of high and low concentration technologies as well as of efficiency values  and the levelized cost of electricity. With the intention of providing information for people interested in CPV technology, this study is now being published for the first time on the websites of the two largest solar energy research centers worldwide, NREL and Fraunhofer  ISE. The study will be updated every half year.

http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/publications/veroeffentlichungen-pdf-dateien-en/studien-und-konzeptpapiere/current-status-of-concentrator-photovoltaic-cpv-technology.pdf