Spectrally-Engineered Solar Thermal Photovoltaic Devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016164451-A1
Application number	US-201414529578-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 31, 2014
Priority date	Oct 31, 2013
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A solar thermal photovoltaic device, and method of forming same, includes a solar absorber and a spectrally selective emitter formed on either side of a thermally conductive substrate. The solar absorber is configured to absorb incident solar radiation. The solar absorber and the spectrally selective emitter are configured with an optimized emitter-to-absorber area ratio. The solar thermal photovoltaic device also includes a photovoltaic cell in thermal communication with the spectrally selective emitter. The spectrally selective emitter is configured to permit high emittance for energies above a bandgap of the photovoltaic cell and configured to permit low emittance for energies below the bandgap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A solar thermal photovoltaic device comprising:
a solar absorber formed on one side of a thermally conductive substrate, the solar absorber configured to absorb incident solar radiation; a spectrally selective emitter formed on another side of the thermally conductive substrate, the solar absorber and the spectrally selective emitter configured with an optimized emitter-to-absorber area ratio; and a photovoltaic cell in thermal communication with the spectrally selective emitter, the spectrally selective emitter configured to permit high emittance for energies above a bandgap of the photovoltaic cell and configured to permit low emittance for energies below the bandgap.

2 . The solar thermal photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the emitter-to-absorber area ratio ranges from about 1 to about 20.

3 . The solar thermal photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the solar absorber comprises carbon nanotubes.

4 . The solar thermal photovoltaic device of claim 3 , wherein the carbon nanotubes are vertically-aligned multiwall carbon nanotubes.

5 . The solar thermal photovoltaic device of claim 3 , wherein the carbon nanotubes have an outer diameter ranging from about 10 nm to about 15 nm and length ranging from about 80 μm to about 100 μm.

6 . The solar thermal photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the spectrally selective emitter comprises a one-dimensional photonic crystal formed with alternating layers of Si and SiO 2 .

7 . The solar thermal photovoltaic device of claim 1 , further comprising a coating formed on the thermally conductive substrate adjacent to the solar absorber, the coating comprising a material configured to withstand elevated operating temperatures of the solar thermal photovoltaic device and configured to reduce parasitic radiation from the solar thermal photovoltaic device.

8 . The solar thermal photovoltaic device of claim 1 , further comprising a shield formed adjacent to the solar absorber or adjacent to the spectrally selective emitter, the shield configured to recycle parasitic radiation back to the solar thermal photovoltaic device.

9 . The solar thermal photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the spectrally selective emitter is configured to operate at an elevated temperature ranging from about 800 K to about 1300 K.

10 . The solar thermal photovoltaic device of claim 1 , further comprising a spring-loaded support coupled to the spectrally selective emitter or the thermally conductive substrate.

11 . A method of forming a solar thermal photovoltaic device, the method comprising:
forming a solar absorber on one side of a thermally conductive substrate, the solar absorber configured to absorb incident solar radiation; forming a spectrally selective emitter on another side of the thermally conductive substrate, the solar absorber and the spectrally selective emitter configured with an optimized emitter-to-absorber area ratio; and providing a photovoltaic cell in thermal communication with the spectrally selective emitter, the spectrally selective emitter configured to permit high emittance for energies above a bandgap of the photovoltaic cell and configured to permit low emittance for energies below the bandgap.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the emitter-to-absorber area ratio ranges from about 1 to about 20.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein forming the solar absorber includes forming carbon nanotubes on the thermally conductive substrate.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein forming carbon nanotubes includes forming vertically-aligned multiwall carbon nanotubes on the thermally conductive substrate.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the carbon nanotubes have an outer diameter ranging from about 10 nm to about 15 nm and length ranging from about 80 μm to about 100 μm.

16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein forming the spectrally selective emitter includes forming a one-dimensional photonic crystal with alternating layers of Si and SiO 2 .

17 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
forming a coating on the thermally conductive substrate adjacent to the solar absorber, the coating comprising a material configured to withstand elevated operating temperatures of the solar thermal photovoltaic device and configured to recycle parasitic radiation back to the solar thermal photovoltaic device.

18 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
forming a shield adjacent to the solar absorber or adjacent to the spectrally selective emitter, the shield configured to recycle parasitic radiation back to the solar thermal photovoltaic device.

19 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the spectrally selective emitter is configured to operate at an elevated temperature ranging from about 800 K to about 1500 K.

20 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing a spring-loaded support coupled to the spectrally selective emitter or the thermally conductive substrate.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Lenert Andrej
• Bierman David
• Chan Walker
• Celanovic Ivan
• Soljacic Marin
• Wang Evelyn N
• Nam Young Suk
• Mcenaney Kenneth
• Kraemer Daniel
• Chen Gang

Classifications

• H10F77/334

  for shielding light, e.g. light blocking layers or cold shields for infrared detectors · CPC title

• H01L31/02164

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02S10/30 Primary

  Thermophotovoltaic systems (photovoltaic cells specially adapted for conversion or sensing of infrared [IR] radiation H10F10/00; thermoelectric devices H10N10/00) · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title