Boeing high-efficiency low-cost concentrated photovoltaic technology

The Boeing CPV system has been developed as a jointly funded effort between the Boeing companies, its industrial partners and the Department of Energy. As with all commercial solar systems the key driver of success is a production cost which is competitive with existing power sources. In this paper we describe an approach for driving the near term cost and LCOE (levelized cost of energy) of less than $0.10 per kWh with growth opportunities down to $0.07 per kWh. This objective is achievable through a combination of existing high performance optics, the future availability of +40% to 50% conversion efficient multi-junction cells, low cost design tailored to high speed and low cost manufacturing, field assembly, and low cost trackers.