skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Thermophotovoltaic energy generation

Abstract

Inventive systems and methods for the generation of energy using thermophotovoltaic cells are described. Also described are systems and methods for selectively emitting electromagnetic radiation from an emitter for use in thermophotovoltaic energy generation systems. In at least some of the inventive energy generation systems and methods, a voltage applied to the thermophotovoltaic cell (e.g., to enhance the power produced by the cell) can be adjusted to enhance system performance. Certain embodiments of the systems and methods described herein can be used to generate energy relatively efficiently.

Inventors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1212398
Patent Number(s):
9,116,537
Application Number:
13/112,831
Assignee:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
DOE Contract Number:  
SC0001299
Resource Type:
Patent
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2011 May 20
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY

Citation Formats

Celanovic, Ivan, Chan, Walker, Bermel, Peter, Yeng, Adrian Y. X., Marton, Christopher, Ghebrebrhan, Michael, Araghchini, Mohammad, Jensen, Klavs F., Soljacic, Marin, Joannopoulos, John D., Johnson, Steven G., Pilawa-Podgurski, Robert, and Fisher, Peter. Thermophotovoltaic energy generation. United States: N. p., 2015. Web.
Celanovic, Ivan, Chan, Walker, Bermel, Peter, Yeng, Adrian Y. X., Marton, Christopher, Ghebrebrhan, Michael, Araghchini, Mohammad, Jensen, Klavs F., Soljacic, Marin, Joannopoulos, John D., Johnson, Steven G., Pilawa-Podgurski, Robert, & Fisher, Peter. Thermophotovoltaic energy generation. United States.
Celanovic, Ivan, Chan, Walker, Bermel, Peter, Yeng, Adrian Y. X., Marton, Christopher, Ghebrebrhan, Michael, Araghchini, Mohammad, Jensen, Klavs F., Soljacic, Marin, Joannopoulos, John D., Johnson, Steven G., Pilawa-Podgurski, Robert, and Fisher, Peter. 2015. "Thermophotovoltaic energy generation". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1212398.
@article{osti_1212398,
title = {Thermophotovoltaic energy generation},
author = {Celanovic, Ivan and Chan, Walker and Bermel, Peter and Yeng, Adrian Y. X. and Marton, Christopher and Ghebrebrhan, Michael and Araghchini, Mohammad and Jensen, Klavs F. and Soljacic, Marin and Joannopoulos, John D. and Johnson, Steven G. and Pilawa-Podgurski, Robert and Fisher, Peter},
abstractNote = {Inventive systems and methods for the generation of energy using thermophotovoltaic cells are described. Also described are systems and methods for selectively emitting electromagnetic radiation from an emitter for use in thermophotovoltaic energy generation systems. In at least some of the inventive energy generation systems and methods, a voltage applied to the thermophotovoltaic cell (e.g., to enhance the power produced by the cell) can be adjusted to enhance system performance. Certain embodiments of the systems and methods described herein can be used to generate energy relatively efficiently.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1212398}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Tue Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

Works referenced in this record:

Method for manufacturing photoelectric conversion devices
patent, February 1989


Light emitting device utilizing a periodic dielectric structure
patent, September 1999


High omnidirectional reflector
patent, October 2000


Photonically engineered incandescent emitter
patent, August 2003


Microfabricated chemical reactor
patent, August 2005


Thermally efficient micromachined device
patent, September 2005


Thermally efficient micromachined device
patent, September 2007


Systems for highly efficient solar power
patent, November 2010


Distributed Power Harvesting Systems Using DC Power Sources
patent-application, June 2008


Power Processing Methods and Apparatus for Photovoltaic Systems
patent-application, August 2013


Air waveguide in a hybrid 1D and 2D photonic crystal hetero-structure
journal, November 2009


Porous silicon-based rugate filters
journal, January 2005


Graded refractive-index SiOx infrared filters prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering
journal, March 2008


Silicon Micromechanical Devices
journal, April 1983


Fabrication of two-dimensional tungsten photonic crystals for high-temperature applications
journal, November 2011

  • Araghchini, M.; Yeng, Y. X.; Jovanovic, N.
  • Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, Nanotechnology and Microelectronics: Materials, Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena, Vol. 29, Issue 6
  • https://doi.org/10.1116/1.3646475

Polarization-transparent microphotonic devices in the strong confinement limit
journal, January 2007


Design and global optimization of high-efficiency thermophotovoltaic systems
journal, January 2010


Resonant-cavity enhanced thermal emission
journal, August 2005


Design and optimization of one-dimensional photonic crystals for thermophotovoltaic applications
journal, January 2004


Two-dimensional tungsten photonic crystals as selective thermal emitters
journal, May 2008


Design and global optimization of high-efficiency solar thermal systems with tungsten cermets
journal, January 2011


Rugate filter for light-trapping in solar cells
journal, January 2008


Improving accuracy by subpixel smoothing in the finite-difference time domain
journal, January 2006


All-metallic three-dimensional photonic crystals with a large infrared bandgap
journal, May 2002


Improving solar cell efficiency using photonic band-gap materials
journal, October 2007


Tailoring thermal emission via Q matching of photonic crystal resonances
journal, March 2011


Limiting photovoltaic monochromatic light conversion efficiency
journal, January 2001


Limiting efficiencies of ideal single and multiple energy gap terrestrial solar cells
journal, August 1980


Radioisotope Micropower System Using Thermophotovoltaic Energy Conversion
conference, January 2006

  • Koudelka, Robert D.
  • SPACE TECH.& APPLIC.INT.FORUM-STAIF 2006: 10th Conf Thermophys Applic Microgravity; 23rd Symp Space Nucl Pwr & Propulsion; 4th Conf Human/Robotic Tech & Nat'l Vision for Space Explor.; 4th Symp Space Coloniz.; 3rd Symp on New Frontiers & Future Concepts, AIP Conference Proceedings
  • https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2169233

Application of Deterministic Low-Discrepancy Sequences in Global Optimization
journal, March 2005


Large Absolute Band Gap in 2D Anisotropic Photonic Crystals
journal, September 1998


Model System for a One-Dimensional Magnetic Photonic Crystal
journal, August 2006


Angular Selective Light Filter Based on Photonic Crystals for Photovoltaic Applications
journal, June 2010


Meep: A flexible free-software package for electromagnetic simulations by the FDTD method
journal, March 2010


Optical characteristics of one-dimensional Si∕SiO2 photonic crystals for thermophotovoltaic applications
journal, February 2005


Magnetism from conductors and enhanced nonlinear phenomena
journal, January 1999

  • Pendry, J. B.; Holden, A. J.; Robbins, D. J.
  • IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 47, Issue 11, p. 2075-2084
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/22.798002

Low-power maximum power point tracker with digital control for thermophotovoltaic generators
conference, February 2010

  • Pilawa-Podgurski, Rob; Pallo, Nathan A.; Chan, Walker R.
  • 2010 IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition - APEC 2010, 2010 Twenty-Fifth Annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC)
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/APEC.2010.5433386

Integrated CMOS DC-DC converter with digital maximum power point tracking for a portable thermophotovoltaic power generator
conference, September 2011


Absorber and emitter for solar thermo-photovoltaic systems to achieve efficiency exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit
journal, January 2009


Thermophotovoltaic generation with selective radiators based on tungsten surface gratings
journal, October 2004


Directional selectivity and light-trapping in solar cells
conference, June 2008


Scattering-matrix treatment of patterned multilayer photonic structures
journal, July 1999


Enabling high-temperature nanophotonics for energy applications
journal, January 2012


Metallodielectric Opals of Layer-by-Layer Processed Coated Colloids
journal, August 2002


Design for 2D anisotropic photonic crystal with large absolute band gaps by using a genetic algorithm
journal, February 2004


Statistical modeling of DSP-based Hill-climbing MPPT algorithms in noisy environments
conference, January 2005

  • Al-Atrash, H.; Batarseh, I.; Rustom, K.
  • APEC 2005. Twentieth Annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition, Twentieth Annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition, 2005. APEC 2005.
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/APEC.2005.1453286

Novel grid-connected non-isolated converters for photovoltaic systems with grounded generator
conference, June 2008


Band structure and reflectivity of omnidirectional Si-based mirrors with a Gaussian profile refractive index
journal, August 2006


Modeling the effect of voltage ripple on the power output of photovoltaic modules
journal, July 2008


Experimental Performance of MPPT Algorithm for Photovoltaic Sources Subject to Inhomogeneous Insolation
journal, November 2009


A voltage sensing approach for a maximum power tracking in integrated photovoltaic applications
conference, June 2009


Observation of total omnidirectional reflection from a one-dimensional dielectric lattice
journal, January 1999


Partially shaded operation of multi-string photovoltaic systems
conference, June 2010


Comparison of Magnetic Materials for V-Groove Inductors in Optimized High-Frequency DC-DC Converters
journal, July 2004


Dynamic maximum power point tracking of photovoltaic arrays using ripple correlation control
journal, September 2006


Comparison of Photovoltaic Array Maximum Power Point Tracking Techniques
journal, June 2007


Optimization of Perturb and Observe Maximum Power Point Tracking Method
journal, July 2005


Distributed maximum power point tracking of photovoltaic arrays: Novel approach and system analysis
journal, July 2008


Cell binning method analysis to minimize mismatch losses and performance variation in Si-based modules
conference, January 2002

  • Field, H.; Gabor, A. M.
  • Conference Record of the Twenty-Ninth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference 2002, Conference Record of the Twenty-Ninth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2002.
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2002.1190548

High-efficiency DC-DC converter chip size module with integrated soft ferrite
journal, September 2003


Comparative study of maximum power point tracking algorithms
journal, January 2002


Maximum photovoltaic power tracking: an algorithm for rapidly changing atmospheric conditions
journal, January 1995


Model of Photovoltaic Cell Circuits under Partial Shading
conference, January 2005


Effects of nonuniformity in thin-film photovoltaics
journal, June 2002


A Review of Single-Phase Grid-Connected Inverters for Photovoltaic Modules
journal, September 2005


Ultrahigh Capacitance Density for Multiple ALD-Grown MIM Capacitor Stacks in 3-D Silicon
journal, July 2008


Performance of photovoltaic maximum power point tracking algorithms in the presence of noise
conference, September 2010


A simplified analog control circuit of a maximum power point tracker
conference, May 2008


Synthesis, simulation and experimental verification of a maximum power point tracker from nonlinear dynamics
conference, January 2001


Converter and inductor design for fast-response microprocessor power delivery
conference, January 2000

  • Mehas, C. J.; Coonley, K. D.; Sullivan, C. R.
  • 2000 Power Electronics Specialist Conference, 2000 IEEE 31st Annual Power Electronics Specialists Conference. Conference Proceedings (Cat. No.00CH37018)
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/PESC.2000.880547

Simple accurate expressions for planar spiral inductances
journal, January 1999


String and module integrated inverters for single-phase grid connected photovoltaic systems - a review
conference, January 2003


Filters and Components With Inductance Cancellation
journal, March 2004


Optimization of Shielded PCB Air-Core Toroids for High-Efficiency DC–DC Converters
journal, July 2011


Distributed interleaving of paralleled power converters
journal, January 1997

  • Perreault, D. J.; Kassakian, J. G.
  • IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Fundamental Theory and Applications, Vol. 44, Issue 8
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/81.611269

Frequency-based current-sharing techniques for paralleled power converters
journal, July 1998


Switching-ripple-based current sharing for paralleled power converters
journal, January 1999

  • Perreault, D. J.; Sato, K.; Selders, R. L.
  • IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Fundamental Theory and Applications, Vol. 46, Issue 10
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/81.795839

Merged two-stage power converterarchitecture with softcharging switched-capacitor energy transfer
conference, June 2008


Measured electrical performance of V-groove inductors for microprocessor power delivery
journal, September 2003


Fabrication of thin-film V-groove inductors using composite magnetic materials
conference, January 2000


Impedance-analyzer measurements of high-frequency power passives: techniques for high power and low impedance
conference, January 2002

  • Prabhakaran, S.; Sullivan, C. R.
  • 2002 IEEE Industry Applications Society Annual Meeting, Conference Record of the 2002 IEEE Industry Applications Conference. 37th IAS Annual Meeting (Cat. No.02CH37344)
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/IAS.2002.1042734

Microfabricated coupled inductors for DC-DC converters for microprocessor power delivery
conference, January 2004


Microfabricated V-Groove Power Inductors for High-Current Low-Voltage Fast-Transient DC-DC Converters
conference, January 2005


Commonly observed degradation in field-aged photovoltaic modules
conference, January 2002

  • Quintana, M. A.; King, D. L.; McMahon, T. J.
  • Conference Record of the Twenty-Ninth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference 2002, Conference Record of the Twenty-Ninth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2002.
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2002.1190879

Negative-index bianisotropic photonic metamaterial fabricated by direct laser writing and silver shadow evaporation
journal, December 2008


Photonic metamaterials by direct laser writing and silver chemical vapour deposition
journal, May 2008


Passive and heterogeneous integration towards a Si-based System-in-Package concept
journal, May 2006


Review of the maximum power point tracking algorithms for stand-alone photovoltaic systems
journal, July 2006


All-in-One Package Ultracompact Micropower Module Using Thin-Film Inductor
journal, July 2004


Optimal Design of Monolithic Integrated DC-DC Converters
conference, January 2006


Improved Energy Capture in Series String Photovoltaics via Smart Distributed Power Electronics
conference, February 2009


New converter circuitry for PV applications using multilevel converters
conference, October 2009

  • Mousa, Mostafa; Ahmed, Mahrous E.; Orabi, Mohamed
  • INTELEC 2009 - 2009 International Telecommunications Energy Conference, INTELEC 2009 - 31st International Telecommunications Energy Conference
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/INTLEC.2009.5352031

Fundamental-Frequency-Modulated Six-Level Diode-Clamped Multilevel Inverter for Three-Phase Stand-Alone Photovoltaic System
journal, November 2009


Switched Capacitor dc-dc converter based maximum power point tracking of a PV source for nano satellite application
conference, June 2010


A Single-Stage PV Module Integrated Converter Based on a Low-Power Current-Source Inverter
journal, July 2008


Topology Study of Photovoltaic Interface for Maximum Power Point Tracking
journal, June 2007


Load line emulation based maximum power point tracking
conference, June 2008


Microinductor for flip-chip micropower source
journal, September 2003


A high-efficiency maximum power point tracker for photovoltaic arrays in a solar-powered race vehicle
conference, January 1993


Decrease in photovoltaic power output from ripple: Simple general calculation and effect of partial shading
conference, March 2011

  • Sullivan, Charles R.; Awerbuch, Jonathan; Latham, Alexander M.
  • 2011 IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition - APEC 2011, 2011 Twenty-Sixth Annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC)
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/APEC.2011.5744864

Design and Fabrication of Low-Loss Toroidal Air-Core Inductors
conference, June 2007


Physically-based distributed models for multi-layer ceramic capacitors
conference, January 2003


Thin-Film Inductor Designs and Materials for High-Current Low-Voltage Power
journal, January 2003


Perpendicular anisotropy in granular Co–Zr–O films
journal, May 2005


Soft Magnetic Properties of Obliquely Deposited Co–Zr–O Films
journal, December 2007


Design Method and Material Technologies for Passives in Printed Circuit Board Embedded Circuits
journal, May 2005


Cascaded DC–DC Converter Connection of Photovoltaic Modules
journal, July 2004


Measuring the Effect of Cell Mismatch on Module Output
conference, May 2006


A Single Cell Maximum Power Point Tracking Converter without a Current Sensor for High Performance Vehicle Solar Arrays
conference, January 2005


Partial shadowing of photovoltaic arrays with different system configurations: literature review and field test results
journal, March 2003


DSP-based multiple peak power tracking for expandable power system
conference, January 2003

  • Wenkai Wu, ; Pongratananukul, N.
  • 18th Annual Applied Power Electronics Conference - APEC 2003, Eighteenth Annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition, 2003. APEC '03.
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/APEC.2003.1179263

A modified adaptive hill climbing MPPT method for photovoltaic power systems
conference, January 2004


11-Level cascaded H-bridge grid-tied inverter interface with solar panels
conference, February 2010

  • Filho, Faete; Cao, Yue; Tolbert, Leon M.
  • 2010 IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition - APEC 2010, 2010 Twenty-Fifth Annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC)
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/APEC.2010.5433387

Photovoltaic converter module configurations for maximum power point operation
conference, February 2010


Control of a cascaded H-bridge multilevel converter for grid connection of photovoltaic systems
conference, November 2009

  • Kouro, Samir; Wu, Bin; Moya, Alvaro
  • IECON 2009 - 35th Annual Conference of IEEE Industrial Electronics (IECON 2009), 2009 35th Annual Conference of IEEE Industrial Electronics
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/IECON.2009.5415332