Optical rectenna solar cells using graphene geometric diodes ieee. The concept of rectenna solar cells was first introduced by bailey in 1972. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Silicon solar pv panels wafers 150 cm2 12 25 cm x 12 25 cm for power generation 12. An overview of solar cell technology stanford university.
Socalled thinfilm solar panels, although less efficient per square meter, tend to be much cheaper to produce, and they are the technology being tapped to realize the worlds largest proposed pv plant, the rancho cielo solar farm in belen, n. Sep 28, 2015 the first optical rectenna, a device that combines an antenna and a rectifier diode, has been developed with the capability to double the efficiency of solar cells. Scientific base for solar pv electric power generation is solidstate physics. These solar cells are fabricated using a combination of thin film deposition and etching techniques. The theoretical limit of an infinite multijunction cell is 86 %. Siliconwafer cells have light absorbing layers up to 350 m thick, while thinfilm solar cells have a very thin light absorbing layers, generally of the order of 1 m thickness. Employed for solar energy harvestingutilized rectennas for solar energy harvesting for the converts solar energy to electric power increases efficiency of solar panels fuel combustion.
Wireless power transfer wpt has been made feasible in recent years due to advances in technology and better the mpt system works by converting power to microwaves through a microwave generator and then transmitting that power through free space where it is received and converted back to power. The small coherence area for sunlight limits the power per rectenna, which affects the conversion efficiency. History originally known as satellite solarpower system ssps, was first described in november 1968. There is a growing interest in recent years on developing solar cells and increasing their conversion efficiency. Solar electric system design, operation and installation. Thus, a solar cell is simply a semiconductor diode that has been carefully designed and constructed to ef. An economic assessment of space solar power as a source of. Quantum theory of operation for rectenna solar cells. Oct 01, 2015 we could ultimately make solar cells that are twice as efficient at a cost that is 10 times lower, and that is to me an opportunity to change the world in a very big way, cola says in the press release. Rectenna array panels for effective rfdc power conversion will be developed.
This book will provide an overview of solar rectennas, and provide thorough descriptions of the two main components. A rectenna is basically an antenna coupled to a diode, but when you move into the optical spectrum, that usually means a nanoscale antenna coupled to a metalinsulatormetal diode, one of the team, baratunde cola from the georgia institute of technology, said in a press release. Firstgeneration cells are based on expensive silicon wafers and make up 85% of the current commercial market. Solar panel arrays can be made by connecting a set of panels in series andor parallel in order to provide. The difference between rectennas and pn junction solar cells lies in the fact that rectennas receive the radiation in its wave form as opposed to solar cells, which employ the quantum nature of. In contrast, in the case of nanoantenna the theoretical efficiency will be greater than 85%. Solar electric system design, operation and installation an overview for builders in the u. The amount of current the solar panel produces determines the amount of power the solar panel produces. Highestwattage home solar panels available, period. Worlds first optical rectenna converts light directly.
With an enormous number of carbon nanotubes serving as the antennas, one of these devices can produce a fair amount of current. The main part of this chapter focuses on the antenna types utilized in solar rectenna systems such as. This process requires firstly, a material in which the absorption of light raises an electron to a higher energy state. About sunpower sunpower designs, manufactures, and delivers highperformance solar electric technology worldwide.
Our highefficiency solar cells generate up to 50 percent more power than conventional solar cells. An overview of solar cell technology mike mcgehee materials science and engineering global climate and energy projectglobal climate and energy project center for advanced molecular photovoltaics precourt institute stanford university konarka nanosolar. Built with maxeon solar cells, delivering up to 20% efficiency and available in 320, 327 or 435 watt panels. An optical rectenna is a rectenna rectifying antenna that works with visible or infrared light. Three patterning steps, one after each of the three layers, create the integrated. The rated output of the panel is determined by the voltage and current that the solar panel can produce. Forget solar panels, optical rectenna converts light. Our highperformance solar panels, roof tiles, and trackers deliver significantly more energy than competing systems.
We give the upper limit to the solar cell e ciency. Part ii aims to cover all the physical fundamentals that are required for understanding solar cells in general and the different technologies in particular. Short study 15 k study objective this study aims to investigate direct energy conversion of visible light into electricity using a nanosized rectenna. The sequence is a simple set of repeating steps including oxidation, etching, diffusion, cleaning and patterning. Plasmonic energy collection through hot carrier extraction. Semiconductorbased photocatalysts and photoelectrochemical cells for solar fuel generation. Chapter 5 metal singleinsulator and multiinsulator. Application of pn junctions within solar cells is discussed. Results direct, hli, medium b, c purdue school of electrical and computer engineering.
Oct 20, 2016 applied to broadband rectenna operation, this correspondence provides clues to designing a rectenna solar cell that has the potential to exceed the 44% quantumlimited conversion efficiency. Brown in 1964 as a receiver for microwave power transmission, is now increasingly researched as a means of harvesting solar radiation. Pdf quantum theory of operation for rectenna solar cells. The editors discuss the science, design, modeling, and. Two different simulation programs, homer and pvsun3, were used in order to determine the required size of the solar collector. Solar cells technical handbook 98 99 pdf file technical handbook notice to readers it is the responsibility of each user to ensure that each battery application system is adequately designed safe and compatible with all conditions encountered during use, and in conformance with existing standards and requirements. Worlds first optical rectenna converts light directly into.
A rectenna is a circuit containing an antenna and a diode, which turns electromagnetic waves into direct current electricity. That would be about double todays best solar cell efficiency. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise cambridge core to connect with your account. Solar cells will be made obsolete by 3d rectennas aiming. Motivation for nextgeneration, highefficiency solar cells worldwide energy demands have increased by 40% over the last 20 years. By installing adobe reader you can view and print pdf files.
This part of the system is sometimes referred to as a solar module or photovoltaic generator. Solar rectennas nanosized rectenna for solar cells. In prior work classical concepts from microwave rectenna theory have been applied to the analysis of photovoltaic power generation using these ultrahigh frequency recti. As an alternative, itn energy systems is developing nextgeneration solar cells based on the concepts of an optical rectenna see figure 1. Solar energy harvesting using graphene rectennas university of. Solar cells can be divided into three main categories based on the morphology of the light absorbers and on the device configuration. Since the 1970s, one of the major motivations for rectenna research has been to develop a receiving antenna for proposed solar power satellites, which would harvest energy from sunlight in space with solar cells and beam it down to earth as microwaves to huge rectenna arrays. Selfsustaining cislunar architecture sell baseline power to earth. This manufacturing technology has the potential to be an order of magnitude lower cost than current stateoftheart technologies, thus enabling larger scale deployment of efficient solar cells. First optical rectenna could double solar cell efficiency e. Solar rectennas nanosized rectenna for solar cells study reference number. Pdf this chapter highlights the history of optical and infrared antennas for solar rectennas and mentions the important contributions made in. Best practices for solar risk management a practical guide for financiers of solar projects and portfolios 2017 edition as part of its ongoing effort to codify industry best practices, seia invited kwh analytics and other members of the seia solar energy finance advisory council to jointly author this document. Background on itn energy systems optical rectenna technology 1.
The solar panel is composed of solar cells that collect solar radiation and transform it into electrical energy. Built with maxeon solar cells, delivering up to 22. A rectenna suitable for receiving energy beamed from solar panels in geocentric orbit would need to be several miles across. If and when they get the more than 40 times improvement, it would seem the cost would still be an issue. A solar cell is an electronic device which directly converts sunlight into electricity. Solar cells will be made obsolete by 3d rectennas aiming at 40to90% efficiency brian wang september 29, 2015 a new kind of nanoscale rectenna half antenna and half rectifier can convert solar and infrared into electricity, plus be tuned to nearly any other frequency as a detector.
Sunlight is incident from the top, on the front of the solar cell. Current solar cell technology is based in the photovoltaic effect occurring in semiconductor materials. Larger panels for commercial use range up to 470 watts per panel. A dyesensitized solar cell dssc, dsc or dysc 11 is a lowcost solar cell belonging to the group of thin film solar cells 12. Because of their high photon energy the interaction of petahertz frequency waves with fastresponding diodes requires a semiclassical. Davis abstract we develop a conceptual model of the economic value of space solar power ssp as a source of power to inspace activities, such as spacecraft and space stations. Pdf optical rectennas, submicrometre antennacoupled diodes, can directly rectify solar and thermal electromagnetic radiation, and have been proposed. New solar cells are very expensive, and can even sometimes be hard to find in quantity at any price. These second rate solar cells could probably be used to make a solar panel. Thinfilm devices based on metalinsulator tunnel junctions, phiar corporation whitepaper, 2003 pdf. Glaser mixed these three ingredients and came up with a satellite in equatorial geo that would use solar cells to convert sunlight into. Garret moddel abstract optical rectennas are an attractive technology for highef. Although power densities of such an arrangement would be low enough to avoid any damage to people or the environment, there are some security concerns that energy on such platforms could be focused and used as an energy weapon, similar to the active denial system ads.
Metalinsulator diodes for solar energy conversion, blake j. The transfer of power from source to receiver is a technology that has existed for over a century. Pdf overview of optical rectennas for solar energy. Pdf solar rectennasnanosized rectenna for solar cells. Solar electric system design, operation and installation an overview for builders in the pacific northwest october 2009. Lecture 3 types of solar cells experiment 3 generations.
Optical rectenna solar cell, final report national renewable energy laboratory nr on. While rectennas have been around since the 1960s, they have not been able to. Chapter 2 radio frequency energy harvesting rectenna. Theoretical efficiency of solar cells at very high. Jul 22, 20 the small coherence area for sunlight limits the power per rectenna, which affects the conversion efficiency. On the basis of the cost problem, we have developed new solar cells based on organic and organicinorganic hybrid materials. Rectenna solar cells, moddel, garret, grover, sachit, ebook. Light photon energy electric energy silicon solar photovoltaic cells a device made of semiconductor materials that produce electricity under light a pn junction is created in silicon by a doping process. A solar cell using microantennas to convert radiation to alternating current and ultrahighspeed diodes to rectify the ac can in principle provide extreme. Most solar cells are based on specialized semiconductor technology. The sunslight looks white because it is made up of manydifferent colorsthat, combined, produce a white light. Optical antennas for harvesting solar radiation energy tel archives.
The comparison of operating regimes shows how optical rectenna operation differs from microwave rectenna operation. Solar photovoltaic pv systems an overview for crystalline silicon pv modules, the module efficiency is lower compared to the sum of the component cell efficiencydue to the presence of gaps between the cells and the border around the circuit i. After discussing some basics from electrodynamics in chapter 4 and solar radiation in. The assumptions involved in the rectenna calculation are based on the application of the carnot efficiency of solar collectors. Corporate office 240 courtneypark drive east, mississauga, ontario canada l5t 2s5. Absorb frequency of light another advantage, it is the most apparent advantage of nanoantennas have over semiconductor photovoltaics is that nanoantenna arrays can be designed to absorb any frequency of light. The closer you can get the antenna to the diode, the more efficient it is. Itns optical rectenna consists of two key elements. Although the concept of using optical rectenna for harvesting solar energy was first introduced four decades ago, only recently has it invited a surge of interest, with dozens of laboratories. An economic assessment of space solar power as a source of electricity for spacebased activities molly k.
The development of an i v curve under electron tunneling illumination puts rectenna solar cells in the same perspective as ef,l conventional solar cells allowing for easy comparison of solar cell characteristics and performance. You have probably read about it or seen it on tv, but have. Usf available technologies rectenna solar energy harvester. Solar cells will be made obsolete by 3d rectennas aiming at. From the first silicon based cells to the second and third generation of photovoltaic cells which are based on thin film. The rectenna rectifying antenna, which was first demonstrated by william c. Eliasson, phd thesis, university of colorado, 2001.
A solar cell or the photovoltaic cell is an electrical device that converts light energy directly into electricity. Moreover, mim diodes may have a large current even in the reverse bias, which cannot be represented with a single exponential. Background and study motivation current solar cell technology is based in the. Nasa in simple terms, we would put some mechanism in outer space to capture the suns energy almost continuously and transmit that energy to earth. Recent advances in hybrid halide perovskitesbased solar cells. When compared to the theoretical efficiency of single junction solar cells 30%, optical rectennas appear to have a significant advantage. Solar panels from lunar regolith, schubert, intl space development conf, 2831 may 2010, chicago, il. Light shining on the solar cell produces both a current and a voltage to generate electric power.
While rectennas have long been used for radio waves or microwaves, an optical rectenna would operate the same way but with infrared or visible light, turning it into. To send this article to your dropbox account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. Most of the thin film solar cells and asi are second generation solar cells, and are more economical as compared to the first generation silicon wafer solar cells. Working principle of silicon solar pv cells photovoltaic material of device converts. Perovskite solar cell psc materials a perovskite solar cell. In assessing the broadband ultimate efficiency obtainable from rectenna solar cells it turns out that operating voltage plays the same role that band gap energy plays in conventional solar cells, leading to a single cell limit of 44 %. This cell when exposed to light can generate and support an electric current without being attached to any external voltage source. Blemished and damaged solar cells are available on and other places at a fraction of the cost of new perfect cells. As a robust, hightemperature detector, these rectennas could be a completely disruptive technology if we can get to one percent efficiency. Eachof thevisible andinvisible radiations of the introduction 5. Researchers at the georgia institute of technology have developed a first of its kind. Dec 31, 2018 spacebased solar power is the concept of capturing solar energy in outer space and transferring it directly to earth or other nearby planets. For space this alternative energy conversion process could enable applications under different environmental conditions e. Solar cells will be made obsolete by 3d rectennas aiming at 40to90% efficiency.
If further refined, the researchers believe the device could lead to a new generation of highly efficient solar cells. To view adobe portable document format pdf files, you need the free adobe reader software from adobe systems incorporated. A simple conventional solar cell structure is depicted in figure 3. Rectenna solar cells discusses antennacoupled diode solar cells, an emerging technology that has the potential to provide ultrahigh efficiency, lowcost solar energy conversion. Denis ar con ljubljana, may 2011 abstract this seminar is a short overview of current photovoltaics. Generally, solar panels produce electricity at either 12 or 24 volts. Overview of optical rectennas for solar energy harvesting. Secondgeneration cells are based on thin films of materials such as amorphous silicon, nanocrystalline silicon, cadmium telluride, or copper indium selenide. Set a record of your own with the worlds first 400watt solar panels, providing more power than ever before from fewer panels on.
Rectenna solar cells kindle edition by moddel, garret, grover, sachit. Landis, high temperature solar cell development, nasa report 2005. Optical rectenna could double solar cell efficiency. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading rectenna solar cells. Theory of broadband photonassisted tunneling saumil joshi and garret moddela department of electrical, computer, and energy engineering, university of. Fundamental properties of solar cells, principles and. Engineers at the georgia institute of technology have been working on the project for six years and have finally unveiled the new device which is able to convert light.
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