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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Overcoming Fundamental Barriers In Photovoltaic And Terahertz Generation, Chao Zhou
Overcoming Fundamental Barriers In Photovoltaic And Terahertz Generation, Chao Zhou
Open Access Theses
Several fundamental barriers limit the performance of opto-electronic conversion processes below 100%. Two specific examples of current technological interest include photovoltaic conversion of sunlight into electricity (i.e., solar cells), and terahertz generation from optical sources. In particular, solar cells are limited not only by the Carnot limit associated with the second law (approximately 86% at room temperature), but also by radiative recombination, non-reciprocity, carrier thermalization, and sub-bandgap losses. In the case of terahertz generation, the typical process of difference frequency generation relies on two input optical waves with only a small difference between them to generate the desired output; however, …
Solar Cell Temperature Dependent Efficiency And Very High Temperature Efficiency Limits, John Robert Wilcox
Solar Cell Temperature Dependent Efficiency And Very High Temperature Efficiency Limits, John Robert Wilcox
Open Access Dissertations
Clean renewable solar energy is and will continue to be a critically important source of electrical energy. Solar energy has the potential of meeting all of the world's energy needs, and has seen substantial growth in recent years. Solar cells can convert sun light directly into electrical energy, and much progress has been made in making them less expensive and more efficient. Solar cells are often characterized and modeled at 25 °C, which is significantly lower than their peak operating temperature. In some thermal concentrating systems, solar cells operate above 300 °C. Since increasing the temperature drastically affects the terminal …