Related papers: Selective emitters design and optimization for the…
This work experimentally studies silicon-cored tungsten nanowire selective metamaterial absorber to enhance solar-thermal energy harvesting, simply fabricated by conformally coating a thin tungsten layer onto a commercial silicon nanowire…
Near-field thermophotovoltaic systems functioning at 400$\sim$900~K based on graphene-hexagonal-boron-nitride heterostructures and thin-film InSb $p$-$n$ junctions are investigated theoretically. The performances of two near-field systems…
Nanowire arrays exhibit efficient light coupling and strong light trapping, making them well suited to solar cell applications. The processes that contribute to their absorption are interrelated and highly dispersive, so the only current…
Optimal multi-layer device design requires consideration of fabrication uncertainties associated with inter-layer alignment and conformal layering. We present layer-restricted topology optimization (TO), a novel technique which mitigates…
The challenge in solar energy today is not the cost of photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation, already competing with fossil fuel prices, but rather utility-scale energy storage and flexibility in supply. Low-cost thermal energy storage…
The demand for high-efficiency photovoltaic systems necessitates innovations that transcend the efficiency limitations of single-junction solar cells. This study investigates a tandem photovoltaic architecture comprising a top-cell with a…
Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and other van der Waals (vdW) semiconductors enable transfer-printed, lattice-mismatch-free stacking of many photovoltaic junctions, motivating a re-examination of multijunction detailed-balance…
This Perspective examines the emerging applications of photonic topological insulators (PTIs) in the microwave domain. The introduction of topological protection of light has revolutionized the traditional perspective of wave propagation…
Managing the emission and absorption of thermal radiation is crucial for a wide range of technologies, from radiative cooling of buildings and vehicles to thermal regulation of satellites and future lunar and Mars habitats. Despite this…
Photonic inverse design and, especially, topology optimization, enable dielectric cavities with deeply sub-diffraction mode volumes and high quality factors, thus offering a powerful platform for enhanced light-matter coupling. Here, we…
Optoelectronic functionalities of photodection and light harnessing rely on the band-to-band excitation of semiconductors, thus the spectral response of the devices is dictated and limited by their bandgap. A novel approach, free from this…
Conventional thermionic power generators and refrigerators utilize a barrier in the direction of transport to selectively transmit high-energy electrons. Here we show that the energy spectrum of electrons transmitted in this way is not…
Utilizing the excess energy of photoexcitation that is otherwise lost as thermal effects can improve the efficiency of next-generation light-harvesting devices. Multiple exciton generation (MEG) in semiconducting materials yields two or…
The use of photoferroic materials that combine ferroelectric and light harvesting properties in a photovoltaic device is a promising route to significantly improve the efficiency of solar cells. These materials do not require the formation…
We present a thermal rectification device concept based on far-field radiative exchange between two selective emitters. Rectification is achieved due to the fact that one of the selective emitters radiative properties are independent on…
Perovskite semiconductors have demonstrated outstanding external luminescence quantum yields, enabling high power conversion efficiencies (PCE). However, the precise conditions to advance to an efficiency regime above monocrystalline…
Elementary physics of photovoltaic energy conversion in a two-level atomic PV is considered. We explain the conditions for which the Carnot efficiency is reached and how it can be exceeded! The loss mechanisms - thermalization, angle…
PyPSA-Eur-Sec-30 is an open-source, hourly-resolved, networked model of the European energy system which includes one node per country as well as electricity, heating, and transport sectors. The capacity and dispatch of generation and…
Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are theoretically able to concentrate both direct and diffuse solar radiation with extremely high efficiencies. Photon-multiplier luminescent solar concentrators (PM-LSCs) contain chromophores which…
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting to generate hydrogen is one of the most studied methods for converting solar energy into clean fuel because of its simplicity and potentially low cost. Despite over 40 years of intensive research,…