Optimum matching of photovoltaic–thermophotovoltaic cells efficiently utilizing full-spectrum solar energy
TL;DR: In this paper, a new concentrated solar spectrum photovoltaic-thermophotonophoton-oxide (THO) hybrid system is proposed, where full-spectrum solar energy is split into different parts according to specific requirements.
About: This article is published in Renewable Energy.The article was published on 2021-08-01. It has received 21 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Photovoltaic system & Solar energy.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors summarized the latest progress of thermoelectric materials and devices and discussed multiple strategies for improving the performance of TE materials via regulating carriers and phonons.
75 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide considerations focused on thermal management of heat sources for the design of thermoelectric generators and methods to evaluate specific energy sources and prototypes are presented.
49 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the basic characteristics of the two technologies are considered and compared from the perspectives of thermodynamic evaluation and parameter analysis, and a theoretical model is established to analyze the thermodynamic limitation of the solar spectrum-split photo-thermal cascade conversion, which is in the range of 84.96%-93.10% and higher than that of solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) (84.96%).
14 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , a novel coupled system composed of a photovoltaic module (PVM), a thermoelectric generator (TEG), and a TEG-TEC was proposed, and the expressions for the performance indexes of the coupled system were deduced under distinct operating conditions.
12 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , a review of the research progress of solar evaporators in recent years, including materials, structures, and performance evaluations, is presented. But, the authors do not discuss the current problems of evaporators and propose a prospect for new types of high-efficiency evaporators.
10 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, an upper theoretical limit for the efficiency of p−n junction solar energy converters, called the detailed balance limit of efficiency, has been calculated for an ideal case in which the only recombination mechanism of holeelectron pairs is radiative as required by the principle of detailed balance.
Abstract: In order to find an upper theoretical limit for the efficiency of p‐n junction solar energy converters, a limiting efficiency, called the detailed balance limit of efficiency, has been calculated for an ideal case in which the only recombination mechanism of hole‐electron pairs is radiative as required by the principle of detailed balance. The efficiency is also calculated for the case in which radiative recombination is only a fixed fraction fc of the total recombination, the rest being nonradiative. Efficiencies at the matched loads have been calculated with band gap and fc as parameters, the sun and cell being assumed to be blackbodies with temperatures of 6000°K and 300°K, respectively. The maximum efficiency is found to be 30% for an energy gap of 1.1 ev and fc = 1. Actual junctions do not obey the predicted current‐voltage relationship, and reasons for the difference and its relevance to efficiency are discussed.
11,071 citations
TL;DR: The mechanisms and strategies for improving thermoelectric efficiency are reviewed and how to report material performance is discussed, as well as how to develop high-performance materials out of nontoxic and earth-abundant elements.
Abstract: BACKGROUND Heat and electricity are two forms of energy that are at opposite ends of a spectrum Heat is ubiquitous, but with low quality, whereas electricity is versatile, but its production is demanding Thermoelectrics offers a simple and environmentally friendly solution for direct heat-to-electricity conversion A thermoelectric (TE) device can directly convert heat emanating from the Sun, radioisotopes, automobiles, industrial sectors, or even the human body to electricity Electricity also can drive a TE device to work as a solid-state heat pump for distributed spot-size refrigeration TE devices are free of moving parts and feasible for miniaturization, run quietly, and do not emit greenhouse gasses The full potential of TE devices may be unleashed by working in tandem with other energy-conversion technologies Thermoelectrics found niche applications in the 20th century, especially where efficiency was of a lower priority than energy availability and reliability Broader (beyond niche) application of thermoelectrics in the 21st century requires developing higher-performance materials The figure of merit, ZT, is the primary measure of material performance Enhancing the ZT requires optimizing the adversely interdependent electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity, as a group On the microscopic level, high material performance stems from a delicate concert among trade-offs between phase stability and instability, structural order and disorder, bond covalency and ionicity, band convergence and splitting, itinerant and localized electronic states, and carrier mobility and effective mass ADVANCES Innovative transport mechanisms are the fountain of youth of TE materials research In the past two decades, many potentially paradigm-changing mechanisms were identified, eg, resonant levels, modulation doping, band convergence, classical and quantum size effects, anharmonicity, the Rashba effect, the spin Seebeck effect, and topological states These mechanisms embody the current states of understanding and manipulating the interplay among the charge, lattice, orbital, and spin degrees of freedom in TE materials Many strategies were successfully implemented in a wide range of materials, eg, V2VI3 compounds, VVI compounds, filled skutterudites and clathrates, half-Heusler alloys, diamond-like structured compounds, Zintl phases, oxides and mixed-anion oxides, silicides, transition metal chalcogenides, and organic materials In addition, advanced material synthesis and processing techniques, for example, melt spinning, self-sustaining heating synthesis, and field-assisted sintering, helped reach a much broader phase space where traditional metallurgy and melt-growth recipes fell short Given the ubiquity of heat and the modular aspects of TE devices, these advances ensure that thermoelectrics plays an important role as part of a solutions package to address our global energy needs OUTLOOK The emerging roles of spin and orbital states, new breakthroughs in multiscale defect engineering, and controlled anharmonicity may hold the key to developing next generation TE materials To accelerate exploring the broad phase space of higher multinary compounds, we need a synergy of theory, machine learning, three-dimensional printing, and fast experimental characterizations We expect this synergy to help refine current materials selection and make TE materials research more data driven We also expect increasing efforts to develop high-performance materials out of nontoxic and earth-abundant elements The desire to move away from Freon and other refrigerant-based cooling should shift TE materials research from power generation to solid-state refrigeration International round-robin measurements to cross-check the high ZT values of emerging materials will help identify those that hold the most promise We hope the renewable energy landscape will be reshaped if the recent trend of progress continues into the foreseeable future
1,457 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the maximum power conversion efficiency for conversion of solar radiation to electrical power or to a flux of chemical free energy for the case of hydrogen production from water photoelectrolysis was calculated.
Abstract: We calculate the maximum power conversion efficiency for conversion of solar radiation to electrical power or to a flux of chemical free energy for the case of hydrogen production from water photoelectrolysis. We consider several types of ideal absorbers where absorption of one photon can produce more than one electron-hole pair that are based on semiconductor quantum dots with efficient multiple exciton generation (MEG) or molecules that undergo efficient singlet fission (SF). Using a detailed balance model with 1 sun AM1.5G illumination, we find that for single gap photovoltaic (PV) devices the maximum efficiency increases from 33.7% for cells with no carrier multiplication to 44.4% for cells with carrier multiplication. We also find that the maximum efficiency of an ideal two gap tandem PV device increases from 45.7% to 47.7% when carrier multiplication absorbers are used in the top and bottom cells. For an ideal water electrolysis two gap tandem device, the maximum conversion efficiency is 46.0% using...
1,363 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the maximum efficiency of ideal solar cells for both single and multiple energy gap cells using a standard air mass 1.5 terrestrial solar spectrum was calculated using a simple graphical method, which clearly exhibits the contributions of various intrinsic losses.
Abstract: The maximum efficiencies of ideal solar cells are calculated for both single and multiple energy gap cells using a standard air mass 1.5 terrestrial solar spectrum. The calculations of efficiency are made by a simple graphical method, which clearly exhibits the contributions of the various intrinsic losses. The maximum efficiency, at a concentration of 1 sun, is 31%. At a concentration of 1000 suns with the cell at 300 K, the maximum efficiencies are 37, 50, 56, and 72% for cells with 1, 2, 3, and 36 energy gaps, respectively. The value of 72% is less than the limit of 93% imposed by thermodynamics for the conversion of direct solar radiation into work. Ideal multiple energy gap solar cells fall below the thermodynamic limit because of emission of light from the forward‐biased p‐n junctions. The light is radiated at all angles and causes an entropy increase as well as an energy loss.
1,011 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an assessment model based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is developed for prioritizing renewable options, which employs four main criteria, technical, economical, social and environmental aspects, and twelve sub-criteria.
405 citations