Related papers: Solar Thermoradiative-Photovoltaic Energy Conversi…
Accurate modeling of charge transport and both thermal and luminescent radiation is crucial to the understanding and design of radiative thermal energy converters. Charge carrier dynamics in semiconductors are well-described by the…
This article proposes a new energy harvesting concept that greatly enhances thermionic power generation with high e ciency by exploiting the near- field enhancement of thermal radiation. The proposed near-field enhanced thermionic energy…
Photovoltaic conversion is highly dependent on the converter's temperature. In the absence of atmosphere, it can be rigorously determined using a thermal balance leading to a compact expression. The derivation starts from a fully spectral,…
A new thermodynamic limit for the open circuit voltage of solar cells that includes thermalization is obtained in terms of photon entropy. A simple graphical construction makes it possible to link this limit to the existing limits for…
This paper shows a fundamental thermodynamic similarity between thermoelectric and photovoltaic energy converters which, at open circuit, can be represented as isochoric engines generating a finite chemical potential which appears as…
An isolated single-junction solar cell's temperature in outer space depends only on its radiation exchange with its environment. We consider a cell with zero emissivity below its bandgap and unity above it -- an idealization so far…
Solar modules are currently characterized at standard test conditions (STC), defined at 1000W/m2 and 25 {\deg}C. However, solar modules in actual outdoor operating conditions typically operate at lower illumination and higher temperature…
Photoluminescence (PL) is a fundamental light-matter interaction, which conventionally involves the absorption of energetic photon, thermalization and the emission of a red-shifted photon. Conversely, in optical-refrigeration the absorption…
This article assesses whether it is profitable to store solar PV electricity in the form of heat and convert it back to electricity on demand. The impact of a number of technical and economic parameters on the profitability of a…
In this paper we present and experimentally validate a low-cost design of a spectral splitting concentrator for the efficient conversion of solar energy. The optical device consists of a dispersive prismatic lens made of polycarbonate…
Optimal radiator thermal emission spectra maximizing thermophotovoltaic (TPV) conversion efficiency and output power density are determined when temperature effects in the cell are considered. To do this, a framework is designed in which a…
Thermionic energy conversion (TEC) using nano materials is an emerging field of research. Graphene can stand high temperature as high as 4600 K in vacuum. Its work function can be engineered from its high value (for monolayer/bilayer) 4.6…
Organic-inorganic halide perovskite solar cells have enormous potential to impact the existing photovoltaic industry. As realizing a higher conversion efficiency of the solar cell is still the most crucial task, a great number of schemes…
A modified detailed balance model is built to understand and quantify efficiency loss of perovskite solar cells. The modified model captures the light-absorption dependent short-circuit current, contact and transport-layer modified carrier…
When the quality of multijunction solar cells becomes sufficiently high, radiative exchange of photons between cells has to be taken into account to properly model these devices. In this work it is shown how this radiative coupling can be…
We report the fabrication and measurement of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells with efficiencies of >40%, which is a record high TPV efficiency and the first experimental demonstration of the efficiency of high-bandgap tandem TPV cells. TPV…
There is a renewed interest in photovoltaic solar thermal (PVT) hybrid systems, which harvest solar energy for heat and electricity. Typically, a main focus of a PVT system is to cool the photovoltaic (PV) cells to improve the electrical…
We demonstrate the optical absorption has been enhanced in the small molecule organic solar cells by employing trapezoid grating structure. The enhanced absorption is mainly attributed to both waveguide modes and surface plasmon modes,…
The hot carrier solar cell (HCSC) has the potential for converting solar energy into electrochemical energy with an efficiency of 85.4%. For this, in addition to an idealized light absorber, the HCSC has to be connected to the external load…
In general, perovskite solar cells (PSC) with a sensitized or thin film architecture absorb light from a single illumination. This paper reported a PSC architecture with a semitransparent Au/ITO counter electrode, which allows light to pass…