Electronics

MIT reports breakthrough in heat-based photovoltaics

MIT reports breakthrough in heat-based photovoltaics
Researchers at MIT have developed sun-free photovoltaics (Photo: Justin Knight)
Researchers at MIT have developed sun-free photovoltaics (Photo: Justin Knight)
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Researchers at MIT have developed sun-free photovoltaics (Photo: Justin Knight)
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Researchers at MIT have developed sun-free photovoltaics (Photo: Justin Knight)
The MIT team behind sun-free photovoltaics
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The MIT team behind sun-free photovoltaics

MIT researchers have reported a breakthrough in "wavelength tuning" that promises to boost the efficiency of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems and in turn could lead to lighter, longer-lasting portable power sources.

Rather than relying on sunlight to produce electricity, thermophotovoltaic systems use heat to supply radiation to a PV cell by using a thermal emitter. These systems have been in development for half a century, but they are inefficient because they emit more infrared wavelengths than sunlight. Filters are one way of optimizing these wavelengths and the relatively recent advent of "low band-gap" PV materials that can make use of more infrared radiation have also improved these systems, but there's plenty of room for further efficiency gains.

The MIT solution involves designing a thermal emitter with a surface that's been "etched" on the nanoscale so that it resonates wavelengths that match those that the photovoltaic cells are best at converting into electricity, while at the same time suppressing wavelengths that aren't useful.

The prototype device is a button-sized TPV generator that uses butane fuel to provide the heat source. According to the researchers it runs three times longer than a lithium-ion battery of the same weight, while recharging is as easy as replacing the fuel cartridge.

Research engineer Ivan Celanovic believes the team can triple the current energy density. "At that point, our TPV generator could power your smartphone for a whole week without being recharged," he says.

Source: MIT.

3 comments
3 comments
Edgar Walkowsky
This technology could prove to be an excellent way to capture waste heat from a variety of sources.
Facebook User
Am I the only one who cannot make head or tail of this article? Are these thermal emitters joined into one unit with the PV cell? This reads like an April Fool article to me. Can someone explain please?
Colin_Keizer
So, if I understand correctly, MIT has optimized a PV cell to convert specific infrared wavelengths into electricity.
They then added a \"thermal emitter\" layer to their PV cell.
When they cook their emitter/cell combination in the butane flame the emitter layer focuses wavelengths their cell DOES convert to electricity, while filtering OUT wavelengths that their cell does NOT convert to electricity.
This enables them to work as efficiently as their materials allow and only with wavelengths they want. They plan to extend the capabilities of their emitter and improve the conversion efficiency of their PV cell.
Good luck with that--I want one for my laptop computer CPU cooler!