Solar "compression" into infrared light can increase the photoelectric conversion rate to 80%

Researchers at several US universities have teamed up to develop a thermo-optical system that promises to increase solar cell conversion efficiency to 80%. The research results were published in the "Nature and Communications" magazine published on October 16.

Silicon semiconductors in traditional solar cells only absorb infrared light, and high-energy light waves, including most of the visible light spectrum, are wasted in the form of heat energy. Although in theory, the conversion efficiency of traditional solar cells can reach 34%, but due to energy waste, despite its continuous improvement and progress, its conversion efficiency still stagnates at 15%-20%.

To break through the dilemma that solar cells are subject to conversion efficiency, researchers at Stanford University, the University of Illinois, and North Carolina State University have embarked on the development of a new thermo-optical system. According to Professor Fan Yan of the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, since the spectrum of thermal radiation that allows solar cells to efficiently generate electricity is very narrow, if sunlight can be condensed into monochromatic light that allows solar cells to generate electricity efficiently, in theory, solar energy The conversion efficiency of the battery can be increased to 80%.

Unlike traditional solar cells, the new thermo-optical system first compresses sunlight into infrared light and converts it into electricity through solar cells. The system has an intermediate component that consists of two parts: one is an absorber that warms up in the sun, and the other is a transmitter that converts heat into infrared light and then illuminates the solar cell.

The key to compressing sunlight into monochromatic light is to maintain the nanostructure of the material. In the initial experiment, the three-dimensional nanostructures of the tungsten emitter collapsed when the temperature was about 1000 degrees Celsius. Researchers at the University of Illinois painted a tungsten emitter with a ceramic material called cerium dioxide. The structural integrity of the tungsten emitter was maintained at a high temperature of 1000 degrees Celsius for 12 hours, and its thermal stability at a high temperature of 1400 degrees Celsius. Stayed for 1 hour.

This is the first time that scientists have confirmed that ceramic materials contribute to the field of thermo-optoelectronics and other fields including the use of residual heat, high-temperature catalysis, and electrochemical energy storage. At present, they are testing other ceramic materials to determine the emitters that can provide infrared light for solar cells. As the reserves of thallium and tungsten in the natural world are extremely abundant, and they are low-cost materials, the method of manufacturing heat-resistant emitters is also very mature. Scientists said that this achievement will strongly promote the research and development in the field of thermo-optoelectronics and help scientists explore more new ceramics. Materials are used in this area. (Reporter He Wei)

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