Polycrystalline-thin-film thermophotovoltaic cells
- Florida Solar Energy Center, 300 State Rd 401, Cape Canaveral, Florida 32920-4099 (United States)
Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells convert thermal energy to electricity. Modularity, portability, silent operation, absence of moving parts, reduced air pollution, rapid start-up, high power densities, potentially high conversion efficiencies, choice of a wide range of heat sources employing fossil fuels, biomass, and even solar radiation are key advantages of TPV cells in comparison with fuel cells, thermionic and thermoelectric convertors, and heat engines. The potential applications of TPV systems include: remote electricity supplies, transportation, co-generation, electric-grid independent appliances, and space, aerospace, and military power applications. The range of bandgaps for achieving high conversion efficiencies using low temperature (1000{endash}2000 K) black-body or selective radiators is in the 0.5{endash}0.75 eV range. Present high efficiency convertors are based on single crystalline materials such as In{sub 1{minus}{ital x}}Ga{sub {ital x}}As, GaSb, and Ga{sub 1{minus}{ital x}}In{sub {ital x}}Sb. Several polycrystalline thin films such as Hg{sub 1{minus}{ital x}}Cd{sub {ital x}}Te, Sn{sub 1{minus}{ital x}}Cd{sub 2{ital x}}Te{sub 2}, and Pb{sub 1{minus}{ital x}}Cd{sub {ital x}}Te, etc., have great potential for economic large-scale applications. A small fraction of the high concentration of charge carriers generated at high fluences effectively saturates the large density of defects in polycrystalline thin films. Photovoltaic conversion efficiencies of polycrystalline thin films and PV solar cells are comparable to single crystalline Si solar cells, e.g., 17.1{percent} for CuIn{sub 1{minus}{ital x}}Ga{sub {ital x}}Se{sub 2} and 15.8{percent} for CdTe. The best recombination-state density {ital N}{sub {ital t}} is in the range of 10{sup {minus}15}{endash}10{sup {minus}16} cm{sup {minus}3} acceptable for TPV applications. (Abstract Truncated)
- OSTI ID:
- 285314
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9507247-; ISSN 0094-243X; TRN: 9610M0215
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 358, Issue 1; Conference: 2. NREL conference on thermophotovoltaic generation of electricity, Colorado Springs, CO (United States), Jul 1995; Other Information: PBD: Feb 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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