A Solar Energy Laboratory for Research and Product Development

Our goal is to develop a unique collection of advanced measurement equipment for concentrating systems that can be used by universities and companies.

1. Test Equipment for Lamination of Receivers
The heart of a concentrated solar collector is the receiver, where sunlight is concentrated and, together with water-cooled solar cells, is converted to electricity and heat. Equipment for testing various lamination materials and solar cells will be located at the test lab. Performance is influenced both by reflection on the surface (which can be adjusted with anti-reflection treatments) and the manner in which light is spread over the surface. Finished receivers are tested at high temperatures and with different temperature cycles. They are also tested with concentrated light, both outdoors and inside, under laboratory conditions.

2. Measurement Equipment for the System’s Optical Properties
When a reflector is manufactured, the mirror surface always differs from the calculated form. In order to optimise the design, a method is needed to precisely gauge the manufactured form. Measurement equipment that can create a two-dimensional picture of the light’s intensity over the receiver, flux mapping, will also be available.

3. Platform for Outdoor Tests
Even if as many test methods as possible are designed to be conducted indoors, to make product development during the winter months possible, there is a need for outdoor testing, since certain tests can only be conducted in direct sunlight.

4. Work Station for Simulation of Solar Yield and Ray Paths
The laboratory shall develop theoretical models for concentrating systems. With CAD-program and ray-tracing the sun-ray’s path through a specific design can be simulated. The test results from the measurements can be used to calculate the yield the solar collector produces in different places in the world and how they shall be dimensioned in combination with, for instance, biofuel.