Answers to questions on CPV
Actually, I think around 50 MW of CPV systems have been installed. The cost of electicity that they produce is about 20% lower than for either thin film or planar silicon in sunny locations. In the future, they will produce solar electricty at under 10 cents per kWh. If you wish more information, there are 6 chapters on CPV in the 2010 Wiley book entitled "Solar Cells and Their Applications, 2nd Edition". The reason for the lower cost is simply that glass for lenses is cheaper than single crystal Si, the module efficiency are 3 times higher than for thin films, and tracking produces more kWh per kW. Finally, there is less field labor for arrays that are 2 to 3 times smaller for the same kW or MW rating.
