Hybrid solar cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10446733-B2
Application number	US-201514977156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2015
Priority date	Oct 2, 2007
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

A hybrid solar cell includes a photovoltaic (PV) cell having an upper grid and lower contact plate with an anode and cathode region in between. A thermoelectric (TE) cell has a top and bottom segmented connector layer with TE elements having pairs of n-doped elements and p-doped elements connected together electrically in series and thermally in parallel by segments of the top or bottom segmented connector layer. An electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer is between the plate and the TE cell. A direct electrical connection is between the cathode region provided by the upper grid or lower plate and segments contacting the n-doped elements, and a direct electrical connection is between the anode region provided by the grid or plate and segments contacting the p-doped elements for the PV cell to power the TE cell and the TE cell to provide active cooling for the PV cell.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hybrid solar cell (hybrid cell) comprising:
a photovoltaic (PV) cell having an upper grid and a lower contact plate with an n-type anode region (anode region) and a p-type cathode region (cathode region) between the upper grid and the lower contact plate;
a thermoelectric (TE) cell having a top segmented connector layer and a bottom segmented connector layer with TE elements including a plurality of n-doped elements and a plurality of p-doped elements with pairs of the n-doped elements and p-doped elements connected together electrically in series and thermally in parallel by at least one segment of the top segmented connector layer and at least one segment of the bottom segmented connector layer,
an electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer between the lower contact plate and the TE cell, and
the PV cell and TE cell electrically connected in parallel with a first direct electrical connection between the cathode region of the PV cell provided by the upper grid or the lower contact plate and one of the at least one segment connected to one of the n-doped elements of the TE cell and a second direct electrical connection between the anode region of the PV cell provided by the other of the upper grid and the lower contact plate and another of the at least one segment connected to one of the p-doped elements of the TE cell for the PV cell to provide DC power to power the TE cell and for the TE cell to provide active cooling for the PV cell.

2. The hybrid cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer is directly on the lower contact plate.

3. The hybrid cell of claim 1 , further comprising a bottom electrically insulating layer directly on the bottom segmented connector layer, the bottom electrically insulating layer providing an exposed bottom surface for the hybrid cell.

4. The hybrid cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer spans a full distance without any intervening layer(s).

5. The hybrid cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer includes apertures and filled with an electrically conducting material to provide the first direct electrical connection and the second direct electrical connection.

6. The hybrid cell of claim 1 , wherein the TE cell and the PV cell are both within a common outer encapsulant envelope comprising an optically transparent polymer to provide an encapsulated hybrid cell.

7. The hybrid cell of claim 6 , wherein the first direct electrical connection and the second direct electrical connection are disposed on sidewalls of the hybrid cell within the encapsulant envelope.

8. The hybrid cell of claim 6 , further comprising a backplane below and in contact with the encapsulated hybrid cell.

9. A solar system, comprising:
a plurality of hybrid solar cells (hybrid cells), each of the hybrid cells comprising:
a photovoltaic (PV) cell having an upper grid and a lower contact plate with an n-type anode region (anode region) and a p-type cathode region (cathode region) between the upper grid and the lower contact plate;
a thermoelectric (TE) cell having a top segmented connector layer and a bottom segmented connector layer with TE elements including a plurality of n-doped elements and a plurality of p-doped elements with pairs of the n-doped elements and p-doped elements connected together electrically in series and thermally in parallel by at least one segment of the top segmented connector layer and at least one segment of the bottom segmented connector layer;
an electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer between the lower contact plate and the TE cell;
the PV cell and TE cell electrically connected in parallel with a first direct electrical connection between the cathode region of the PV cell provided by the upper grid or the lower contact plate and one of the at least one segment connected to one of the n-doped elements of the TE cell and a second direct electrical connection between the anode region of the PV cell provided by the other of the upper grid and the lower contact plate and another of the at least one segment connected to one of the p-doped elements of the TE cell for the PV cell to provide DC power to power the TE cell and for the TE cell to provide active cooling for the PV cell.

10. The solar system of claim 9 , wherein the solar system is exclusive of a controller.

11. The solar system of claim 9 , wherein the electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer is directly on the lower contact plate.

12. The solar system of claim 9 , further comprising a bottom electrically insulating layer directly on the bottom segmented connector layer, the bottom electrically insulating layer providing an exposed bottom surface for the hybrid cells.

13. The solar system of claim 9 , wherein the electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer includes apertures and filled with an electrically conducting material to provide the first direct electrical connection and the second direct electrical connection.

14. The solar system of claim 9 , wherein the TE cell and the PV cell are both within one common outer encapsulant envelope comprising an optically transparent polymer to provide an encapsulated hybrid cell.

15. The solar system of claim 14 , wherein the first direct electrical connection and the second direct electrical connection are disposed on sidewalls of the hybrid cells within the encapsulant envelope.

16. The solar system of claim 14 , further comprising a backplane below and in contact with the encapsulated hybrid cell.

17. The solar system of claim 9 , wherein the hybrid cells are connected electrically in series to provide a solar module, further comprising a plurality of the solar modules connected together as a series string, further comprising an output of the series string coupled to an input of an inverter for conversion of a DC power output by the series string to AC power.

Assignees

• Univ Central Florida Res Found Inc

Inventors

• Sorloaica-Hickman Nicoleta
• Reedy Robert Martin

Classifications

• H02S10/10

  including a supplementary source of electric power, e.g. hybrid diesel-PV energy systems (combinations with gas-turbine plants F02C6/00) · CPC title

• H02S40/42

  Cooling means · CPC title

• H02S40/32

  comprising DC/AC inverter means associated with the PV module itself, e.g. AC modules · CPC title

• H02S40/12

  Means for removing snow · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title