The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund

Kazi M Islam

Daniel Shawn Codd

Matthew David Escarra

Yaping Ji

Maxwell W Woody

Jacqueline C Failla

Claire C Davis

Adam Ollanik

Qi Xu

Brian C Riggs

David M Bar-or

Luke Artzt

Matthew Barrios

Vince Romanin

Nicholas David Farrar-Foley

David M Bar-On

A spectrum-splitting concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) module utilizes direct fluid cooling of photovoltaic cells in which an array of photovoltaic cells is fully immersed in a flowing heat transfer fluid. Specifically, at least a portion of both the front face and the rear face of each photovoltaic cell comes into direct contact with heat transfer fluid, thereby enhancing coupling of waste heat out of the photovoltaic cells and into the heat transfer fluid. The CPV module is designed to maximize transmission of infrared light not absorbed by the photovoltaic cells, and therefore may be combined with a thermal receiver that captures the transmitted infrared light as part of a hybrid concentrator photovoltaic-thermal system.

Spectrum-splitting concentrator photovoltaic module with direct fluid cooling, and associated methods

A hybrid receiver for a concentrator photovoltaic-thermal power system combines a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) module and a thermal module that converts concentrated sunlight into electrical energy and thermal heat. Heat transfer fluid flowing through a cooling block removes waste heat generated by photovoltaic cells in the CPV module. The heat transfer fluid then flows through a helical tube illuminated by sunlight that misses the CPV module. Only one fluid system is used to both remove the photovoltaic-cell waste heat and capture high-temperature thermal energy from sunlight. Fluid leaving the hybrid receiver can have a temperature greater than 200° C., and therefore may be used as a source of process heat for a variety of commercial and industrial applications. The hybrid receiver can maintain the photovoltaic cells at temperatures below 110° C. while achieving overall energy conversion efficiencies exceeding 80%.

Hybrid receiver for concentrated photovoltaic-thermal power systems, and associated methods

A spectrum splitting, transmissive concentrating photovoltaic (tCPV) module is proposed and designed for a hybrid photovoltaic-solar thermal (PV/T) system. The system may be able to fully utilize the full spectrum of incoming sunlight. By utilizing III-V triple junction solar cells with bandgaps of approximately 2.1 eV, 1.7 eV, and 1.4 eV in the module, ultraviolet (UV) and visible light (in-band light) are absorbed and converted to electricity, while infrared (IR) light (out-of-band light) passes through and is captured by a solar thermal receiver and stored as heat. The stored heat energy may be dispatched as electricity or process heat as needed. The tCPV module may have an overall power conversion efficiency exceeding 43.5% for above bandgap (in-band) light under a standard AM1.5D solar spectrum with an average concentration ratio of 400 suns. Passive and/or active cooling methods may be used to keep cells below 110° C. while transmitting >75% of out-of-band light to the thermal receiver, which may attain thermal energy capture at temperatures as high as 500° C. or more. A transparent active cooling system may improve the CPV module efficiency by about 1% (absolute) relative to a passive cooling system by reducing the maximum cell working temperature by about 16° C.

Transmissive concentrated photovoltaic module with cooling system

Growing community of inventors

New Orleans, LA, United States of America

Kazi M Islam