Researchers from the University of Minnesota, including Jennifer Selvidge, Ryan M. France, John Goldsmith, Parth Solanki, Myles A. Steiner, and Eric J. Tervo, have made significant strides in the field of thermophotovoltaics, a technology that converts thermal infrared photons into electricity. Their work, published in the journal Nature Energy, focuses on near-field thermophotovoltaics, which offer substantial improvements over conventional far-field devices, particularly at lower temperatures.
Thermophotovoltaics hold promise for various renewable energy applications, such as thermal energy storage, waste heat recovery, and direct solar-thermal power generation. However, traditional far-field devices have struggled to generate significant power at lower temperatures. The researchers addressed this limitation by developing a large area near-field thermophotovoltaic device. This device leverages photon tunneling effects to achieve higher power outputs compared to far-field configurations.
The team created a self-supported emitter-cell pair with an area of 0.28 square centimeters and a gap of 150 nanometers. At a temperature of 460 degrees Celsius, the device generated 1.22 milliwatts of power, representing a twenty-five-fold increase over the same cell in a far-field setup. The near-field device also demonstrated short circuit current densities that exceeded the far-field photocurrent limit at all tested temperatures, confirming the role of photon tunneling in enhancing performance.
The researchers used modeling to identify practical directions for further improving cell performance and increasing power density. Their findings highlight the potential of near-field thermophotovoltaics, especially for low-temperature applications. This technology could be particularly valuable in the energy sector for recovering waste heat from industrial processes and improving the efficiency of solar-thermal power plants. The research was published in the journal Nature Energy, providing a solid foundation for future advancements in this field.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.