What is a thermophotovoltaic cell?

Hot objects emit light, too—generally at longer, lower-energy wavelengths—and thermophotovoltaics (TPVs) are photovoltaic cells that are optimized to capture that light. A new photovoltaic cell developed by NREL far surpasses the previous, 32% world-record efficiency for TPVs.

Do Thermophotovoltaic cells generate electricity from infrared light?

Just as solar cells generate electricity from sunlight, thermophotovoltaic cells do so from infrared light. Now, in a new study, scientists have revealed thermophotovoltaic cells with a record-high conversion efficiency of more than 40 percent, better than the average turbines used to generate power in the United States.

How efficient is a thermophotovoltaic cell?

This cell achieved an efficiency of 41.1% operating at a power density of 2.39 W cm –2 and an emitter temperature of 2,400 C. The group presented the device in “ Thermophotovoltaic efficiency of 40%,” which was recently published in Nature.

How much does a thermophotovoltaic system cost?

“A turbine-based power production system’s cost is usually on the order of US $1 per watt. However, for thermophotovoltaics, there is potential to reduce it to the order of $0.10 per watt.” In contrast, thermophotovoltaics are very early in their progress, and so may have numerous prospects to improve their efficiency and costs, LaPotin notes.

Are thermophotovoltaic batteries a good investment?

“Thermal batteries are great applications for thermophotovoltaics because they need to be done at bigger scales to make the system efficiency equal to the device efficiency,” Henry says.

Can thermophotovoltaic materials emit infrared photons?

In the new study, the researchers experimented with thermophotovoltaic materials optimized for emitter temperatures of 1,900 to 2,400 °C and emitting infrared photons with energies between 1 and 1.4 electron volts.