The Swiss start-up Insolight aims to be the first company to commercialize a high-efficiency III-V based low profile micro-CPV product that uses planar micro-tracking to eliminate the need for a tilting solar tracker, allowing rooftop mounting using typical flat-plate hardware, as well diffuse light capture using low cost Si solar cells which cover the area of the back plane not taken up by III-V solar cells. The IES-UPM has made an initial performance evaluation of a 0.1m2 prototype. We show that the integrated planar tracking can reach 55° AOI, show CSTC efficiency near to 30% for III-V output, and demonstrate the diffuse capture and planar tracking capability in a multi-week test campaign at our test site in Madrid. Index Terms-integrated planar tracking, diffuse light collection, micro-concentrator photovoltaics.

A tracking-integrated hybrid micro-concentrator module is presented that can harvest direct, diffuse, and albedo irradiance components. It uses biconvex 180× lens arrays to concentrate direct light on high-efficiency III-V solar cells (29% module efficiency has been demonstrated outdoors on direct sunlight at Concentrator Standard Test Conditions) and a planar micro-tracking mechanism to allow installation in static frames. Two architectures have been developed to harvest diffuse irradiance: (1) a hybrid architecture where the backplane is covered with monofacial or bifacial Si cells; (2) a translucent architecture where diffuse light is transmitted through the module for dual-land-use applications, such as agrivoltaics. Simulations show that the hybrid architecture provides an excess of yearly energy production compared to 20% efficiency flat-plate photovoltaic (PV) module in all locations studied, including those with a low direct normal irradiance (DNI) content, and up to 38% advantage in high-DNI locations. The use of bifacial heterojunction and interdigitated back-contact Si cells has been explored for the glass-Si-glass backplane laminate to harvest albedo light. Bifacial gains modeled can boost energy yield by about 30% in the best scenario. We discuss the perspectives of the translucent modules for dual-land-use applications as well, such as integration in greenhouses for agriculture-integrated PV (agrivoltaics). This architecture can provide up to 47% excess electricity compared to a spaced reference Si array that transmits the same amount of solar

or where extending the power connection lines would not be economically justifiable. Besides its direct use for lighting, appliances, etc., stand-alone photovoltaic electricity can be utilized to generate a valuable chemical feedstock via electrochemical processes. They are the natural entry point for PV integration, as these processes specifically require direct electricity to operate. Their scalability, coupled with the possibility to modulate the load and possibly operate on-demand, facilitates the implementation of timevarying renewable energy sources. [2] Most of the research efforts have been recently devoted to the investigation of solar hydrogen devices, following two distinguished paths: photoelectrochemical (PEC) or photo voltaic-electrolysis (PV-E) devices. The latter approach appears to be more technologically mature for shortterm implementation and have been demonstrated using multijunction solar cells [3] and inexpensive silicon cells.[4] While most efforts in the past decades have focus on the development of cost-effective hydrogen-generators, little attention has been dedicated to the development of stand-alone solar-reactors for the electrochemical generation of different commodities, e.g., halides that can already count on an established industrial practice. [5] Chlorine is used as a feedstock for the manufacture of numerous products in more than 50% of all the industrial processes. [6] The main route to produce chlorine is the chloralkali process, one of the largest electrochemical operations in industry; it accounts for a yearly energy consumption of 150 TWh, 1% of the global overall and 2% of the US electrical production. [7] Molecular hydrogen and hydroxide ions (which can later be extracted as sodium hydroxide) are generated in the cathodic reaction. The predominant chloralkali electrochemical reactors implement membranes [8] that separate a De Nora DSA anode and a nickel-based cathode. [9] The anodic coating is a metallic oxide blend, constituted of a mixture of ruthenium and titanium oxides mainly. Beside the importance of chlorine and sodium hydroxide as chemical feedstocks, hydrogen could be fully recovered, power to a significant extent the process itself or serve as an energy vector and further impact different sectors (e.g., mobility). It is therefore evident that the chloralkali process (and oxidation of halides in general) holds an intrinsic economic advantage when compared to the traditional

Solar-powered electrochemical technologies can be employed to generate valuable chemical commodities on-site. We demonstrate solar-driven production of sodium hypochlorite, a widely employed water disinfection agent.

Planar micro-tracking concentrator photovoltaic modules hold great promises, as they enable the combination of efficiencies greater than 30% with the form factor of conventional rooftop panels operating at fixed tilt. Over the past three years, Insolight has been developing a fixed-tilt system, combining a biconvex silicone lens array, high efficiency multi-junction cells and integrated micro-tracking. A first prototype built in 2016 was validated with a peak conversion efficiency of 36.4 %. On the path towards industrialization of the systems, we present the evolution from the first lab prototype to fully automated panels featuring several thousands cells, installed on a rooftop pilot site. Continuous operation and data logging of the outdoor installation over a year enable us to validate a simple and robust integrated micro-tracking scheme. Recent measurements showed a module efficiency of 29% at concentrated standard test conditions. Different hybrid PV-CPV architectures are under evaluation for the capture of global irradiance.