Cost Estimates Of Concentrated Photovoltaic Heat Sink Production

Abstract

The focus of the thesis is the formulation of a credible, reasonable, and professionally developed cost analysis of adding optimized cooling technologies to concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) systems. Current CPV systems use basic heat sink designs to increase efficiency. Modern heat sink design can achieve greater overall efficiencies of electricity generation. As the CPV market has matured, production costs have come down to near flat-panel photovoltaic (PV) production costs. CPV units outperform flat-panel PV units in areas of high direct normal irradiance (DNI) in terms of electricity generation efficiency and power produced per square meter. Gains in efficiency should shorten payback periods for CPV systems, if they are not prohibited by high upfront costs of manufacturing and installation. Ultimately, a better understanding of cost drivers in CPV unit production will help in the making of a more informed selection of optimal technology for Department of Defense/Department of the Navy self-sufficient solar power for our bases. This research will help further U.S. Navy energy goals by increasing alternative energy ashore and its use across the Navy.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2016
Accession Number
AD1026084

Entities

People

  • Ernest Jr L. Anderson

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Business Administration
  • Climate Change Adaptation
  • Cost Analysis
  • Cost Estimates
  • Costs
  • Department Of Defense
  • Electric Power Production
  • Energy
  • Energy Production
  • Heat Sinks
  • Manufacturing
  • Renewable Energy
  • Solar Cells
  • Solar Energy
  • Solar Generators
  • Solar Panels
  • Solar Radiation

Readers

  • Distributed Systems and Data Platform Development
  • Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Engineering.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.