It started with a DBU-funded demonstration project in the Spanish city of Lorca, now it is becoming the preferred method for the "solar power harvest" at sunny places: the technology of the ConcentrixTM Soitec Solar GmbH, Freiburg (formerly: Concentrix Solar GmbH). The Concentrating Photovoltaics (CPV) first concentrates the sunlight by means of a Fresnel lens which serves as a magnifying glass and focuses it then on a multi-junction solar cell of a few squaremillimeter’s size. There, solar cells made of different semiconductor materials of the periodic table are stacked and the layers absorb the entire wavelength spectrum of sunlight by the high-energy blue to the infrared range. This module can achieve efficiencies of 30 percent – it generates twice as much as conventional solar modules. Since the Concentrix technology requires direct sunlight, the so-called modules track the sun on so called sun-tracking systems, so that the radiation efficiency is maximized. The Concentrix technology is used in countries with high solar radiation, ranging from nearly 100 kilowatts up to any capacity. Solar power plants with a capacity of 150 megawatts for example can supply about 55,000 households. Also for the Desertec project on solar power generation in desert regions are Concentrating PV power plants with Concentrix technology an option. www.soitec.com/en/solar-energy
