Related papers: Blackbody-cavity Ideal Solar Absorbers
Selective solar absorbers (SSAs) with high performance are the key to concentrated solar power systems. Optical metamaterials are emerging as a promising strategy to enhance selective photon absorption, however, the high-temperature…
The sun (~6000 K) and outer space (~3 K) are the original heat source and sink for human beings on Earth. The energy applications of absorbing solar irradiation and harvesting the coldness of outer space for energy utilization have…
Parabolic trough mirror plants are a popular design for the conversion of solar energy to electricity via thermal processes. The absorber of concentrated solar radiation can reach high temperatures (> 500 degrees Celsius) and is responsible…
An ideal solar thermal absorber has a sharp transition between high and low absorptance at the wavelength where the blackbody emissive power begins to exceed the solar irradiance. However, most real selective absorbers have a fairly broad…
It is of significance to incorporate spectral selectivity technology into solar thermal engineering, especially at high operational temperatures. This work demonstrates spectrally selective solar absorbers made of multilayer tungsten,…
In this work, a metamaterial selective solar absorber made of nanostructured titanium gratings deposited on an ultrathin MgF2 spacer and a tungsten ground film is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Normal absorptance of the…
Black body materials prove promising candidates to meet future energy demands as they are able to harvest energy from the total bandwidth of solar radiation. Here, we report on high absorption (> 98 %) near-black body-like structures…
Concentrating solar power, particularly parabolic trough system with solar concentrations less than 50, requires spectrally selective solar absorbers that are thermally stable at high temperatures of 400degC above to achieve high…
Hot carrier solar cells allow potential efficiency close to the thermodynamical limit in ideal conditions. However, the feasability of such devices has not been clearly stated so far and only ideal cells were considered in previous studies.…
The design and fabrication of a metal-dielectric-metal absorber that achieves strong absorption from the ultraviolet (UV) to the near-infrared (near-IR) spectrum are presented. The proposed nanostructure consists of a periodic titanium (Ti)…
We report a low cost and scalable method to synthesize solar selective nanofluids from 'used engine oil'. The as-prepared nanofluids exhibit excellent long-term stability and photo-thermal conversion efficiency. Moreover, these were found…
A parabolic trough solar collector is a dominant technology for high-temperature industrial applications, but efficient use of a conventional surface-based parabolic trough solar collector (SBPTSC) is limited by its high radiation loss due…
We demonstrate a broadband, polarization independent, omnidirectional absorber based on a metallic metasurface architecture, which accomplishes greater than 90% absorptance in the visible and near-infrared range of the solar spectrum, and…
Coating and reflecting thin films for energy harvesting purposes are interesting topics in both theoretical and experimental research. The thin film could help to enhance the absorption of the system via its specific optical properties…
Spectrally selective absorbers that maximize solar absorption and minimize thermal radiation loss are crucial for efficient solar thermal energy harvesting. However, limitations imposed by the intrinsic properties of conventional materials…
Understanding the maximal enhancement of solar absorption in semiconductor materials by light trapping promises the development of affordable solar cells. However, the conventional Lambertian limit is only valid for idealized material…
Ultrathin planar absorbing layers, including semiconductor and metal films, and 2D materials, are promising building blocks for solar energy harvesting devices but poor light absorption has been a critical issue. Although interference in…
This paper presents fabrication, measurement and modelling results for a metal-dielectric-metal metasurface absorber for solar thermal applications. The structure uses amorphous carbon as an inter-layer between thin gold films with the…
Solar energy promises a viable solution to meet the ever-increasing power demand by providing a clean, renewable energy alternative to fossil fuels. For solar thermophotovoltaics (STPV), high-temperature absorbers and emitters with strong…
Although spectrally selective materials play a key role in existing and emerging solar thermal technologies, temperature-related degradation currently limits their use to below 700C in vacuum, and even lower temperatures in air. Here we…