Frequently Asked Questions

What are the differences between the FLATCON^® technology and conventional PV technology? What are the advantages of the FLATCON^® technology as compared to other solar technologies?

The main differences are the high efficiency of the FLATCON^® technology in comparison to conventional technology as well as the use of a completely different concept whereby sunlight is focused onto the solar cell using Fresnel lenses. The FLATCON^® technology offers the following advantages over other solar technologies:

High module and system efficiencies and therefore less area is used
Lower costs for generating electricity ( cost advantage 10-20% depending on location)
Energy amortization time of less than one year (for silicon 3-4 years)
Due to concentration, the active solar cell area is reduced which results in a lower consumption of expensive semiconductor material.
Better modularity in comparison to solar thermal systems

What are the electricity production costs of the FLATCON^® module technology? How do they compare to the costs of silicon flat modules?

Not the system costs but rather the electricity production costs are decisive for a competitive comparison. These are determined by the amortization of the initial investment costs, the running, operating and maintenance costs and by the annual energy yield. Here it is important to consider that, in comparison to flat solar PV modules, only the direct solar radiation is used for the concentrator module. For this reason, there is a much stronger relationship between the location i.e. the available solar radiation, as for silicon flat plate solar modules. At sunny locations in Spain or Italy, customers can count on a cost advantage of 15%. For locations having solar radiation availability equivalent to Madrid, the electricity production costs of the concentrator technology are more than 10% less than those costs for the non-tracking systems using conventional silicon flat plate technology. For locations with higher fractions of direct solar radiation – such as desert regions in North Africa or in the USA – the calculated cost advantage increases to over 20%.

Who developed the FLATCON^® technology?

The decisive ground work on the production technology for the FLATCON^® technology was developed in over ten years of research work at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. Since the mid-80’s, Fraunhofer ISE is working on concentrator photovoltaic cells and systems. Since 2002, the focus of the work at Fraunhofer ISE in the area of concentrator photovoltaic lies in the development of production technologies for the FLATCON^® technology in order to make a transfer to the industry possible. Since the 1970s, various research groups have been working on creating the basis for the concentrator technology. Scientists at the Ioffe Institute, the University of Madrid and also NREL belong to the group of pioneers who have laid the important groundwork in this area.

What efficiency is reached by the FLATCON^® technology?

The FLATCON^® system achieves a nominal AC system efficiency of 25% under full operating conditions in the field. The modules installed achieve efficiencies of over 27% and the solar cells used achieve efficiencies of 38%, respectively. The efficiency of the FLATCON^® technology is therefore double that of conventional silicon technology.

How much electricity can I produce with the FLATCON^® technology?

The amount of electricity produced is firstly dependent on the location. FLATCON^® systems are especially suitable for use in regions having a large fraction of direct solar radiation and guarantee large energy outputs even at high ambient temperatures. For locations with an annual direct normal irradiance (DNI) of 2500 kWh/m²yr, the electricity yield per installed AC nominal power is 2475 kWh/kW_nom.

Where are target markets for the FLATCON^® technology? In what countries can the technology be implemented?

The efficiency of the technology is dependent on a high portion of direct solar radiation. Therefore, the technology can only be installed in very sunny countries such as Spain, southern Italy, Greece, USA or, for example, in India or Australia. Ideal locations are, for example, south of Madrid, Spain (40° 25’N, 3° 42’W) where over 2000 kWh/m²yr are available. In countries in west and central Europe, there is primarily diffuse irradiation and therefore too little direct solar radiation and too little sunshine hours for installing this technology.

Is there a minimum system size or minimum purchase quantity?

The smallest system has an AC nominal power of 6 kW. Concentrator photovoltaics is a large power plant technology. The future projects from Concentrix Solar will range between 1-100 MW. In exceptional cases, smaller units with only several hundred kW can be economically realized.

How much area do I need for my installation?

For a power plant size of 1 MW, an area between 25000 – 30000 m² is necessary in order to optimally lay out the system and to avoid shading, for the most part.

Can I buy single modules from Concentrix Solar?

No. Concentrix Solar only sells complete systems which includes modules, inverters and trackers. This is because the individual system components of a concentrator PV system must be optimally fitted to each other.

Can I install the modules from Concentrix Solar e.g. on my house or on the roof of my business?

No. Since the modules can only use the direct solar radiation component, they must track the sun using a two-axis tracker. Therefore, they are not suitable for building integration. Moreover, the system is too big and too heavy for installing on a roof of a house.

Can I invest in Concentrix Solar?

Presently there is no possibility to buy shares of the company.

What guarantee is offered by Concentrix Solar?

The technology and the power plants from Concentrix Solar are guaranteed for the same time frame as conventional PV systems, i.e. 20 years.