Solar thermophotovoltaics: reshaping the solar spectrum

Nanophotonics

article

Zhiguang Zhou¹  Enas Sakr¹  Yubo Sun¹  Peter Bermel¹ 

[1] Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University

关键词: solar power;    thermophotovoltaics;    selective solar absorbers;    selective emitters;    selective filters;   

DOI  :  10.1515/nanoph-2016-0011

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: De Gruyter

【 摘 要 】

Recently, there has been increasing interest in utilizing solar thermophotovoltaics (STPV) to convert sunlight into electricity, given their potential to exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit. Encouragingly, there have also been several recent demonstrations of improved system-level efficiency as high as 6.2%. In this work, we review prior work in the field, with particular emphasis on the role of several key principles in their experimental operation, performance, and reliability. In particular, for the problem of designing selective solar absorbers, we consider the trade-off between solar absorption and thermal losses, particularly radiative and convective mechanisms. For the selective thermal emitters, we consider the tradeoff between emission at critical wavelengths and parasitic losses. Then for the thermophotovoltaic (TPV) diodes, we consider the trade-off between increasing the potential short-circuit current, and maintaining a reasonable opencircuit voltage. This treatment parallels the historic development of the field, but also connects early insights with recent developments in adjacent fields.With these various components connecting in multiple ways, a system-level end-to-end modeling approach is necessary for a comprehensive understanding and appropriate improvement of STPV systems. This approach will ultimately allow researchers to design STPV systems capable of exceeding recently demonstrated efficiency values.

【 授权许可】

CC BY