Tailored free-form optics with movement to integrate tracking in concentrating photovoltaics

The economic use of high-efficiency solar cells in photovoltaics requires high concentration of sunlight and therefore precise dual-axis tracking of the sun. Due to their size and bulkiness, these trackers are less adequate for small- to mid-scale installations like flat rooftops. Our approach to combine concentrating and tracking of sunlight utilizes two laterally moving lens arrays. The presented analytic optics design method allows direct calculation of the free-form lens surfaces while incorporating the lateral movement. The obtained concentration performance exceeds a factor of 500. This demonstrates that one can benefit from high-efficiency solar cells and more compact and flexible single-axis trackers at the same time.