Role of spectral non-idealities in the design of solar thermophotovoltaics
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Author(s)
Lenert, Andrej
Nam, Youngsuk
Wang, Evelyn N.
Bierman, David Matthew
Date Issued
October 2014
Journal
Optics Express
Publisher
Optical Society of America
Citation
Lenert, Andrej, Youngsuk Nam, David M. Bierman, and Evelyn N. Wang. “Role of Spectral Non-Idealities in the Design of Solar Thermophotovoltaics.” Optics Express 22, no. S6 (2014): A1604.
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Author's final manuscript
Abstract
To bridge the gap between theoretically predicted and experimentally demonstrated efficiencies of solar thermophotovoltaics (STPVs), we consider the impact of spectral non-idealities on the efficiency and the optimal design of STPVs over a range of PV bandgaps (0.45-0.80 eV) and optical concentrations (1-3,000x). On the emitter side, we show that suppressing or recycling sub-bandgap radiation is critical. On the absorber side, the relative importance of high solar absorptance versus low thermal emittance depends on the energy balance. Both results are well-described using dimensionless parameters weighting the relative power density above and below the cutoff wavelength. This framework can be used as a guide for materials selection and targeted spectral engineering in STPVs.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.22.0A1604
