According to a report from the Physicist Organization Network on January 20 (Beijing time), researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made a breakthrough in solar energy technology by developing a new solar thermal photovoltaic (STPV) system. This innovative system captures heat generated by high-temperature materials and converts it into electricity using photovoltaic cells. The advancement not only improves the utilization of sunlight but also offers a more efficient way to store solar energy. The findings were recently published in the journal *Nature Nanotechnology*.
Evrin Wang, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and one of the lead researchers, explained that traditional silicon-based solar cells are limited in their ability to capture all available photons. This is because each photon needs to match the bandgap energy of the material for efficient conversion. While silicon can work well with certain wavelengths, many photons fall outside this range, leading to energy loss.
To overcome this challenge, the team designed a two-layer absorption and emission device placed between the sunlight and the photovoltaic cells. The device consists of carbon nanotubes and photonic crystals. The outer layer, composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, absorbs sunlight and converts it into heat. As this heat warms the attached photonic crystal, it emits light whose wavelength closely matches the bandgap of the photovoltaic cell, maximizing the conversion of thermal energy into electricity.
Unlike conventional solar panels, which are constrained by the Shockley-Queisser limit (capping efficiency at around 33.7%), STPV systems have the potential to significantly boost efficiency—possibly reaching over 80% under ideal conditions. However, early prototypes of STPV devices had very low efficiency, often below 1%. The latest version improved this to 3.2%, and the research team believes that with further development, they could reach up to 20% efficiency, making commercial applications feasible in the near future.
A key factor in the performance of the system is the size of the absorption-emission device. Since it operates at high temperatures, larger components tend to lose heat more quickly due to a lower surface-to-volume ratio. To test this, the team first used a 1 cm chip and later scaled up to a 10 cm chip, demonstrating the feasibility of expanding the technology while maintaining efficiency. This progress marks a significant step forward in the quest for more sustainable and efficient solar power solutions.
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