Solar energy concentration technology using Fresnel lens is an effective way to make full use of sunlight. This paper makes a review about the recent development of the concentrated solar energy applications using Fresnel lenses. The ongoing research and development involves imaging systems and non-imaging systems. Compared with imaging systems, non-imaging systems have the merits of larger accept angles, higher concentration ratios with less volume and shorter focal length, higher optical efficiency, etc. Concentrated photovoltaics is a major application and the highest solar-to-electric conversion efficiency based on imaging Fresnel lens and non-imaging Fresnel lens are reported as over 30% and 31.5 ± 1.7%, respectively. Moreover, both kinds of systems are widely used in other fields such as hydrogen generation, photo-bio reactors as well as photochemical reactions, surface modification of metallic materials, solar lighting and solar-pumped laser. During the recent two decades, such applications have been built and tested successfully to validate the practicality of Fresnel lens solar concentration systems. Although the present application scale is small, the ongoing research and development works suggest that Fresnel lens solar concentrators, especially non-imaging Fresnel lenses, will bring a breakthrough of commercial solar energy concentration application technology in the near future. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of two systems are also summarized.

Concentrated solar energy applications using Fresnel lenses: A review

We exploit the inherent dispersion in diffractive optics to demonstrate planar chromatic-aberration-corrected lenses. Specifically, we designed, fabricated and characterized cylindrical diffractive lenses that efficiently focus the entire visible band (450 nm to 700 nm) onto a single line. These devices are essentially pixelated, multi-level microstructures. Experiments confirm an average optical efficiency of 25% for a three-wavelength apochromatic lens whose chromatic focus shift is only 1.3 μm and 25 μm in the lateral and axial directions, respectively. Super-achromatic performance over the continuous visible band is also demonstrated with averaged lateral and axial focus shifts of only 1.65 μm and 73.6 μm, respectively. These lenses are easy to fabricate using single-step grayscale lithography and can be inexpensively replicated. Furthermore, these devices are thin (<3 μm), error tolerant, has low aspect ratio (<1:1) and offer polarization-insensitive focusing, all significant advantages compared to alternatives that rely on metasurfaces. Lastly, our design methodology offers high design flexibility in numerical aperture and focal length, and is readily extended to 2D.

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Chromatic-aberration-corrected diffractive lenses for ultra-broadband focusing.

Durability of Fresnel lenses: A review specific to the concentrating photovoltaic application

Performance enhancement of a Building-Integrated Concentrating Photovoltaic system using phase change material

Concept and design of modular Fresnel lenses for concentration solar PV system

In this paper we analyze an arbitrarily shaped lineal Fresnel lens acting either as sole concentration stage or as the first stage of a two-stage concentration system in which the second stage considers the first as a Lambertian source. We determine the gain and position of the lens for all possible configurations, and we demonstrate that a curved lens with a refractive-index approaching infinity and with a given profile turns out to be an ideal concentrator.

Fresnel lens analysis for solar energy applications

This paper compares the gain that can be achieved with a one- or two-stage concentrator, when the first stage is a Fresnel lens or a parabolic mirror, as a function of the luminosity of the concentrator. The results show that the achievable gain using a parabolic mirror is greater than that obtained using a flat or roof lens but is lower than that obtained using a curved lens.

Comparison of Fresnel lenses and parabolic mirrors as solar energy concentrators

In concentration systems using Fresnel lenses the effect of the chromatic aberration can become important. In this paper we propose a method to take this effect into account for designing purposes. Also we define a parameter that allows one to estimate the degradation of the thermodynamic quality of the concentrator due to this effect. This parameter follows a hyperbolic law, with the acceptance angle showing that it is important to consider chromatic aberration when modeling concentrators with a high concentration factor. However, this complexity is unnecessary for moderate or low concentration factors.

Chromatic aberration effect on solar energy systems using Fresnel lenses.

In this paper we are concerned with symmetrical bidimensional concentrators, and we prove that for a given source's angular extension a curve exists that divides the plane into two regions. No ideal concentrator can be found with its edges on the outer region and no Lambertian concentrator can be found with its edges on the inner region. A consequence of this theorem is that a concentrator is forced to cast some of the incident energy outside the collector to ensure its obtaining the maximum power.

E. Lorenzo

Papers

Fresnel lens analysis for solar energy applications

Comparison of Fresnel lenses and parabolic mirrors as solar energy concentrators

Chromatic aberration effect on solar energy systems using Fresnel lenses.

Conditions for achieving ideal and Lambertian symmetrical solar concentrators

The Ramon Areces concentration photovoltaic array