Related papers: Photovoltaic Surfaces to Reverse Global Warming
While the installed photovoltaic capacity grows to a terawatt scale, effects of global climate change unfold. The question arises, how a changing climate, and especially raising temperatures, will affect the performance of PV installations…
Whether natural factors could interpret the rise of the Earth's surface temperature is still controversial. Though numerous recent researches have reported apparent correlations between solar activity and the Earth's climate, solar activity…
As the 21st century progresses, photovoltaic technology is becoming a major provider of the worlds electricity, while effects of global climate change unfold. This development begs the question: is climate change affecting the energy…
Heat is an inevitable outcome in energy consumption processes, as more than 65% of input energy is wasted as heat. If we can generate electricity from waste heat, it will help minimize the needs for fossil fuels in power plants and can…
Photovoltaics (PVs) are a critical technology for curbing growing levels of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and meeting increases in future demand for low-carbon electricity. In order to fulfil ambitions for net-zero carbon dioxide…
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…
Space conditioning, and cooling in particular, is a key factor in human productivity and well-being across the globe. During the 21st century, global cooling demand is expected to grow significantly due to the increase in wealth and…
Solar photovoltaics which converts renewable solar energy into electricity have become prominent as a measure to decarbonize electricity generation. The operational carbon footprint of this technology is significantly lower compared to…
The photoelectric conversion efficiency of a solar cell is dependent on its temperature. When the solar radiation is incident on the photovoltaics (PV) panel, a large portion of it is absorbed by the underlying material which increases its…
Thermophotovotaics convert thermal radiation from local heat sources to electricity. A new breakthrough in creating highly efficient thin-film solar cells can potentially enable thermophotovoltaic systems with unprecedented high efficiency.…
We investigate and evaluate the contribution of the ultraviolet radiation spectrum on the temperature and efficiency of commercial crystalline silicon-based photovoltaics (PVs) that operate outdoors. The investigation is performed by…
For window applications in hot climates, it is desirable to have windows with high visible transparency, while maintaining strong reflectance in both the ultraviolet and near infrared, to minimize unwanted heat gain. Given that more than…
Inhibiting ice accumulation on surfaces is an energy-intensive task and is of significant importance in nature and technology where it has found applications in windshields, automobiles, aviation, renewable energy generation, and…
Sub-bandgap reflectors (SBR) can reduce the temperature of photovoltaic (PV) modules by reflecting the near-infrared region of the solar spectrum with photon energies smaller than the electronic bandgap of the solar cell absorber material.…
For commercial one-sun solar modules, up to 80% of the incoming sunlight may be dissipated as heat, potentially raising the temperature 20 C - 30 C higher than the ambient. In the long term, extreme self-heating erodes efficiency and…
Passive radiative cooling involves a net radiative heat loss into the cold outer space through the atmospheric transmission windows. Due to its passive nature and net cooling effect, it is a promising alternative or complement to electrical…
Africa holds the world's highest solar irradiance yet has <2% of global photovoltaic (PV) capacity, leaving 600 million people without electricity access. However, climate change impacts on its 10 TW potential remain understudied. Using…
We propose a solar thermal energy conversion system consisting of a solar absorber, a thermoradiative cell or negative illumination photodiode, and a photovoltaic cell. Because it is a heat engine, this system can also be paired with…
The development of a Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) based solar-shade system, as part of a technically- and financially-viable multipurpose system to provide long-term solutions to global warming and the energy crisis is discussed. The proposed…
The conventional notion for achieving high efficiency in thermophotovoltaics (TPVs) is to use a monochromatic emission at a photon energy corresponding to the band gap of the cell. Here, we prove theoretically that such a notion is only…