Efficiently-cooled plasmonic amorphous silicon solar cells integrated with a nano-coated heat-pipe plate.
Solar photovoltaics (PV) are emerging as a major alternative energy source. The cost of PV electricity depends on the efficiency of conversion of light to electricity. Despite of steady growth in the efficiency for several decades, little has been achieved to reduce the impact of real-world operating temperatures on this efficiency. Here we demonstrate a highly efficient cooling solution to the recently emerging high performance plasmonic solar cell technology by integrating an advanced nano-coated heat-pipe plate. This thermal cooling technology, efficient for both summer and winter time, demonstrates the heat transportation capability up to ten times higher than those of the metal plate and the conventional wickless heat-pipe plates. The reduction in temperature rise of the plasmonic solar cells operating under one sun condition can be as high as 46%, leading to an approximate 56% recovery in efficiency, which dramatically increases the energy yield of the plasmonic solar cells. This newly-developed, thermally-managed plasmonic solar cell device significantly extends the application scope of PV for highly efficient solar energy conversion.
Centre for Micro-Photonics, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia.
Yinan
Y
Zhang
CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship, Gate 5, Normanby Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Yanping
Y
Du
CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship, Gate 5, Normanby Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Clifford
C
Shum
Centre for Micro-Photonics, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia.
Boyuan
B
Cai
CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship, Gate 5, Normanby Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Nam Cao Hoai
NC
Le
Centre for Micro-Photonics, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia.
Xi
X
Chen
CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship, Gate 5, Normanby Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Benjamin
B
Duck
CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship, Gate 5, Normanby Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Christopher
C
Fell
CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship, Gate 5, Normanby Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.|Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, 151 Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Yonggang
Y
Zhu
Centre for Micro-Photonics, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia.|School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.
Min
M
Gu