Direct solar thermal-to-electric energy conversion using thermophotovoltaics
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (United States). Lewis Research Center
- Kent State Univ., OH (United States)
Thermophotovoltaic energy conversion achieves direct conversion of thermal energy to electricity without the need for complex dynamic machinery operating in one of several possible thermodynamic cycles. This paper presents an analysis of a hybrid solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) energy conversion system in which a receiver/photovoltaic (PV) array subsystem is powered by either a solar concentrator or a fossil fuel combustion source. The overall TPV system efficiency is calculated using an appropriate selective emitter and a spectrally tuned solar cell designed to achieve maximum conversion efficiency in the narrow band emitted by the selective emitter. Two limiting cases are examined to place upper and lower bounds on system performance. The estimates of system performance are based on actual experimental data from PV cells and selective emitters.
- OSTI ID:
- 109848
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950725--; ISBN 0-89553-167-4
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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