An Italian research centre has developed and realised a radiometer that can be used for measurement of very high irradiances, especially conceived for applications in solar radiation 3D concentrators. Organisations dealing with optics or photovoltaic activities are sought for research/technical cooperation and for commercial agreement with technical assistance.

An Italian research centre involved in R&D activities on photovoltaic technology has developed and realised a radiometer that can be used for measurement of very high irradiances, those typically achieved in the systems for 3D concentrating solar radiation.

It has been designed in such a way as to be operated in different environments, at different attenuation ratios, depending on the intensity of the incoming light.

It is made of a prism inside which two spherical cavities were performed. The light is measured by a photodiode and spectrally analysed by a spectrograph through an optical fibre. The photodiode is thermally stabilised from 5°C to about 50°C. The radiometer has been calibrated by a flashed solar simulator with concentration. The current, measured by the photodiode, for a particular size of input and insert windows, can be correlated with the intensity (number of suns) of the input light.

Innovative Aspects:

No radiometers are available on the market, which can sustain the very high intensity of concentrated solar radiation produced in solar furnace, thermal and photovoltaic concentrators. The realised prototype is the first ready-to-use radiometer for concentrated radiation. It is able to measure solar light intensities as high as thousand of suns (hundreds of watts). A prototype of it has been realised at ENEA Portici laboratories. Other prototypes, improved in the design, will be used in other solar concentrating systems in Italy.

Main Advantages:

It is a tool with high flexibility, portable; moreover, it is a universal tool, operating with stationary radiation and temperature-controlled.

This radiometer can be used: in all the solar energy applications that exploit the radiation concentration to reach higher efficiency in electric, thermal or thermodynamic conversion process of the radiant energy; in all the concentration plant that require control measurements of radiation, if the concentrator shape allows its employment (or it can be designed for a specific concentrator, for a continuous measurement of the radiation); in all the laboratory applications that require measurement of the total power or the irradiance distribution in a concentrated light bundle; for the calibration of concentration solar cells, particularly for the accurate measurement of the total radiant power incident on a cell.

• Viale della Costituzione Is.A/3
• 80143
• Tel.: +39 081 7723325
• Tel.: +39 081 7723330
• Fax.: +39 081 7723344
• salvatore.amicoroxas@portici.enea.it