Rectenna solar cells, moddel, garret, grover, sachit. Rectenna solar cells discusses antennacoupled diode solar cells, an emerging technology that has the potential to provide ultrahigh efficiency, lowcost solar energy conversion. The comparison of operating regimes shows how optical rectenna operation differs from microwave rectenna operation. Optical rectennas, submicrometre antennacoupled diodes, can directly rectify solar and thermal electromagnetic radiation, and have been proposed as an alternative to conventional semiconductor photovoltaics. Rectenna solar cell hybrid panel and hybrid photovoltaic. 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 %. An alternative solar energy converter concept is the rectenna rectifying antenna device, which has.
Sep 28, 2015 a metalinsulatormetal architecture in which one metal is replaced by vertically aligned carbon nanotube antennae is used to convert light into direct current. Secondgeneration cells are based on thin films of materials such as amorphous silicon, nanocrystalline silicon, cadmium telluride, or copper indium selenide. Santa clara, ca, usa 2015present 202014 201120 20062011. Background and study motivation current solar cell technology is based in the photovoltaic effect occurring in semiconductor materials. Rectenna solar cells, moddel, garret, grover, sachit, ebook. Nov 15, 2017 the main observation is that the maximum rectenna efficiency for a bowtie can increase up to 11% compared to the one for the dipole topology. A hybrid solar photovoltaic generation system comprising. 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. The main application for rectennas has been infrared sensing and detection 24.
Performance evaluation in conventional and rectenna solar cells. Feb 15, 2007 a hybrid solar photovoltaic generation system comprising. Dopingenhanced current rectification in carbon nanotube. Fundamental properties of solar cells, principles and. The semiclassical form for the diode resistance equates the resistance at a bias to the inverseslope of the secant between two points on the dark i v curve separated by photon. Furthermore, the history, efficiency trends, and socioeconomic impact of its research are also featured. 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. 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. A rectenna is a circuit containing an antenna and a diode, which turns electromagnetic waves into direct current electricity. Using density functional theory in combination with greens functional formalism, we study the e. Quantum theory of operation for rectenna solar cells. Right now efficiency is only one percent, but professor baratunde cola and colleagues at the georgia institute of technology georgia tech, atlanta convincingly argue that they can achieve 40 percent broad.
Pdf solar rectennasnanosized rectenna for solar cells. Current solar cell technology is based in the photovoltaic effect occurring in semiconductor materials. 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. In conventional solar cells each photon generates electronhole pairs that provide electrical power. An overview of the sequence is shown to the right figure 1. As a robust, hightemperature detector, these rectennas could be a completely disruptive technology if we can get to one percent efficiency. Optimizing the bowtie nanorectenna topology for solar. Solar cells will be made obsolete by 3d rectennas aiming at.
In an embodiment, the solar cell comprises an at least one optical antenna having a geometric morphology capable of accepting energy. This book will provide an overview of solar rectennas, and provide thorough descriptions of the two main components. Itns optical rectenna consists of two key elements. Optimizing the bowtie nanorectenna topology for solar energy. As an alternative, itn energy systems is developing nextgeneration solar cells based on the concepts of an optical rectenna see figure 1. Optical rectenna solar cells using graphene geometric diodes z zhu, s grover, k krueger, g moddel 2011 37th ieee photovoltaic specialists conference, 002120002122, 2011. The rectenna was invented by brown and has been used for various applications such as the microwave power helicopter and the receiving array for solar power satellite the experiment on the microwave 15.
The large area rectenna is placed underneath the collecting surface or in front of the. Performance evaluation in conventional and rectenna solar cells sachit grover device physicist, first solar, inc. Optical rectenna could double solar cell efficiency. Worlds first optical rectenna converts light directly. The sequence is a simple set of repeating steps including oxidation, etching, diffusion, cleaning and patterning. An alternative solar energy converter concept is the rectenna rectifying antenna device, which has achieved. Quantum theory of operation for rectenna solar cells iopscience. Berdiyorov and hicham hamoudi qatar environment and energy research institute, hamad bin khalifa university, p. The small coherence area for sunlight limits the power per rectenna, which affects the conversion efficiency. In addition, the cell comprises a rectifier having the optical antenna at a first end and engaging a substrate at a.
The theoretical limit of an infinite multijunction. Us20070240757a1 solar cells using arrays of optical. The main observation is that the maximum rectenna efficiency for a bowtie can increase up to 11% compared to the one for the dipole topology. 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. Usf available technologies rectenna solar energy harvester. Jun 25, 2016 to provide a proofofconcept demonstration of light rectification in a nano rectenna as an alternative energy conversation process to semiconductor solar cells based on the photovoltaic effect.
Eliasson, phd thesis, university of colorado, 2001. Brown in 1964 as a receiver for microwave power transmission, is now increasingly researched as a means of harvesting solar radiation. Pdf overview of optical rectennas for solar energy. Background on itn energy systems optical rectenna technology 1. 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. We show that there are efficiency limits to broadband optical conversion and provide a quantitative analysis using the theory of photon. They are used in wireless power transmission systems that transmit power by radio waves. Pdf overview of optical rectennas for solar energy harvesting. Solar rectennas nanosized rectenna for solar cells.
The theoretical limit of an infinite multijunction cell is 86 %. Optical rectenna wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Overview of optical rectennas for solar energy harvesting. Modeled and measured results are presented for a wedge prism coupled sion waveguide array. Unlike conventional solar cells that provide power in the fourth quadrant of the iv curve under illumination, rectenna solar cells operate in the second quadrant. First optical rectenna could double solar cell efficiency. Even though the concept of solar rectification was first proposed in the 1970s active research on rectennas for solar energy. 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. The rectenna rectifying antenna, which was first demonstrated by william c. Solar cells will be made obsolete by 3d rectennas aiming.
A rectenna is a highfrequency rectifier system consisting of an antenna that receives electromagnetic radiation and a diode that converts it to dc power. Because rectifiers can convert a wide range of frequencies to dc it was thought that rectenna solar cellsantennas coupled to ultrahigh speed diodescould efficiently harvest the entire solar spectrum and exceed the shockleyqueisser limit. A rectenna is a rectifying antenna a special type of receiving antenna that is used for converting electromagnetic energy into direct current dc electricity. Performance evaluation in conventional and rectenna solar.
A wideband coherent optical 1d concentrator, intended for rectennas, has been designed with an integrated photovoltaic array solar cell. First optical rectenna could double solar cell efficiency e. Worlds first optical rectenna converts light directly into. Solar rectennas nanosized rectenna for solar cells nebula. We develop a comprehensive description of the operating principle of rectenna solar cells. A simple rectenna element consists of a dipole antenna with an rf diode connected across the dipole elements. 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. While rectennas have long been used for radio waves or microwaves, an optica. A metalinsulatormetal architecture in which one metal is replaced by vertically aligned carbon nanotube antennae is used to convert light into direct current.
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. Such methods include, heating of a black surface, using a number of solar collectors used for trapping the suns energy. Thinfilm devices based on metalinsulator tunnel junctions, phiar corporation whitepaper, 2003 pdf. 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. Motivation for nextgeneration, highefficiency solar cells worldwide energy demands have increased by 40% over the last 20 years. These solar cells are fabricated using a combination of thin film deposition and etching techniques. Firstgeneration cells are based on expensive silicon wafers and make up 85% of the current commercial market.
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. Imagine instead a crystal radio for light that absorbs. The present invention discloses a solar cell comprising a nanostructure array capable of accepting energy and producing electricity. In this paper, a bowtie topology is considered as the nantenna in a rectenna for solar energy harvesting purposes. For space this alternative energy conversion process could enable applications under different environmental conditions e. Service published in science, solar cells gear up to go somewhere under the rainbow volume 320, issue 5883, page 1585, june 20, 2008, the author noted that. 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. Wideband coherent optical concentrator for photovoltaic. 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. Pdf quantum theory of operation for rectenna solar cells. Jul 22, 20 the small coherence area for sunlight limits the power per rectenna, which affects the conversion efficiency. If further refined, the researchers believe the device could lead to a new generation of highly efficient solar cells. To provide a proofofconcept demonstration of light rectification in a nanorectenna as an alternative energy conversation process to semiconductor solar cells based on the photovoltaic effect.
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. A carbon nanotube optical rectenna nature nanotechnology. Forget solar panels, optical rectenna converts light. An optical rectenna is a rectenna rectifying antenna that works with visible or infrared light. While rectennas have been around since the 1960s, they have not been able to.