Project POWERTREE "High Concentration Photovoltaic for Urban Environments"

On the 10th of October, 2018, a working and coordination meeting for the POWERTREE project, "High Concentration Photovoltaic for Urban Environments," was held in Madrid. During the meeting, project details and collaboration among the consortium members for the successful development of the project were reviewed.

The consortium is coordinated by BSQ Solar, a manufacturer of high concentration photovoltaic systems based in Yeles (Toledo), and includes as partners and participants: the Institute of Concentration Photovoltaic Systems (ISFOC) in Puertollano, a company belonging to the Castilla-La Mancha Finance Institute Group, dedicated to R&D in photovoltaic technologies, energy efficiency, and smart sensors; Fagor Electrónica, part of the Mondragón Corporation, dedicated to the development and manufacturing of electronic components; and the Department of Construction and Architectural Technology of the Technical School of Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Madrid.

Additionally, the project has external collaboration from the consulting firm AROSA I+D for project management tasks.

Illustration 1. High Concentration Photovoltaic (HCPV) Systems by BSQ Solar

High concentration photovoltaic technology is a solar-based electricity technology that provides by far the highest conversion efficiency, and this also makes it the technology that provides the highest energy density per unit area (kWh/m²). This makes it especially suitable for residential and urban environments, where the collection area is a scarce and high-cost commodity. The PowerTree project aims to develop high concentration photovoltaic systems specifically designed and functional for use in residential and urban settings.

The project is partially funded by the Retos Colaboración Programme of the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, under the file RTC-2017-6064-3.