Solar Thermoelectric Cells

To meet future energy demands while mitigating environmental impact, the advancement of renewable energy conversion technologies is essential. Solar cells represent the dominant technology for converting sunlight into electricity but have inherent limitations – including sensitivity to radiation damage, performance degradation at elevated temperatures, and intermittency. In this work, the potential of solar thermoelectric cells (STECs) as a complementary or alternative solar energy conversion technology is investigated. By testing STECs coated with organic photothermal materials ATT in indoor and outdoor settings, the performance of ATT-STEC was measured under various conditions, including intense sun irradiation and high temperatures. ATT-STECs saw voltage increase 120% with greater intensities from 1 to 4 suns and 170% with enhanced operating temperatures from room-temperature to 90 o C – while the commercial solar cell of the same size saw no change with increased solar irradiation and a decline in performance at high temperatures. Furthermore, under the same conditions, ATT-STEC was able to drive hydrogen production, which was not achievable by the commercial solar cell. These results indicate the unique advantages of STECs that are also the limitations of solar cells, suggesting broader potential of STECs as a complementary or alternative solar energy conversion approach in natural environments with intense sun exposure, high temperatures, and/or sizable temperature differences.