| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78806 | Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells | 2011 | 7 Pages |
The experimental U–I characteristics of a single GaSb cell, a single Si cell and their modules in a TPV system using a SiC radiator were investigated. The influence of the radiator temperature and the radiator–cell distance on the output performances of a single cell and its module was analyzed. The results demonstrate that increasing the radiator temperature or decreasing the radiator–cell distance both lead to the increasing the short-circuit current density and the output power density, but the open-circuit voltage decreases because of the rise of the cell temperature. The maximum output power densities of a single GaSb cell and the corresponding module are 0.26 and 0.28 W/cm2, respectively, which are approximately 4.3 and 6.0 times that of a single Si cell and its module for a combustion power of 4.2 kW and a radiator–cell distance of 1.1 cm. Furthermore, a mathematical physical model was constructed to analyze the influence of the cell temperature on the output performance of the cells. For a given radiator temperature and radiator–cell distance, the theoretical results indicate that the output power density decreases with cell temperature because of attenuation of the open-circuit voltage.
Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► A uniform emitter temperature distribution was obtained with a porous medium combustor. ► The distance between the radiator and the cells was changed to verify the view factor. ► The output performances strongly depend on the TPV cell temperature. ► Si cell has a higher Uoc, but GaSb cell has a much higher Isc. ► The system efficiency of GaSb cells is several times larger than that of Si cells.
