GaSb photovoltaic cells for applications in TPV generators

GaSb thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells are one of the reasons for the renewed interest in TPV technology. Today, they are the most suitable choice for modem TPV generators. This paper reviews the background and the status of the GaSb photovoltaic cell development. GaSb TPV cells are fabricated either by a zinc vapour diffusion technology or by epitaxial methods such as liquid phase epitaxy or metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy. Efficiencies of more than 30% under filtered blackbody spectra were reported

Photovoltaic laser power converters for wireless optical power supply of sensor systems

Optical power transmission (also called power-by-light) is an elegant solution to power wireless sensor nodes. At the sensor, optical power in form of monochromatic laser light is converted to electricity by photovoltaic laser power converters. These photovoltaic cells are optimized for the monochromatic wavelength of the light - opposed to solar cells, where the cell is optimized for efficeint conversion of the entire solar spectrum. By fine-tuning the absorber material's bandgap to the photon energy thermalization losses can be minimized. Consequently, highest photovoltaic conversion efficiencies of up to 60 % can be achieved. One advantage of optical power transmission is the possibility to combine the power supply with optical communication in a single channel. There exist different ways to realize such combination. One interesting idea is the concept of combined transceiver devices for both optical power reception as well as data reception and transmission. This work gives an overview of latest achievements in the development of photovoltaic laser power converters, including results from various absorber materials for different wavelengths, cell architectures with increased output voltages, and combined power and data transceiver device architectures

Modeling of the degradation of III-V triple-junction cells due to particle irradiation on the basis of component cells

The paper reports about the possibility of predicting the degradation of III-V multi-junction solar cells due to particle irradiation in space solely based on the radiation response of the respective sub cells. State-of-the art triple-junction solar cells of the 3G28 class manufactured by AZUR Space GmbH are used as an example to demonstrate how to model the degradation behavior of multi-junction cell from the degradation behavior of the respective component cells, as investigated in this study. The advantages of component cells for understanding and modeling the behavior of multi-junction cells under different conditions are discussed

Determining the optimal laser wavelength for laser power conversion depending on operation temperature

Optical power transmission efficiency is maximized by optimal match of laser wavelength and bandgap of PV laser power converters. Here, we present an experimentally verified model for GaAs taking into account the influence of temperature

Einbinden der Erneuerbaren in das Energiesystem

Die Autoren geben einen Überblick über Status und Perspektiven der Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien. Darauf aufbauend zeigen sie, wie das heutige Energiesystem um- und ausgebaut werden muss, um den wachsenden Beitrag der Erneuerbaren zur Energieversorgung verarbeiten zu können