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Investigation on performance of a solar thermophotovoltaic system

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Abstract

In the light of the thermo-electric conversion principle, a model for predicting the performance of a solar thermophotovoltaic system is presented. The temperature distributions of the emitter for different concentrator ratios are numerically computed and the influence of the concentrator ratio on the system performance is analyzed. Numerical results show that the emitter temperature and the system efficiency increase with increase of the concentrator ratio. The effects of some other factors such as the spectral filter, cell temperature, and the reflectivity of the top and bottom surfaces of the emitter on the conversion performance of the STPV system are discussed.

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Correspondence to YiMin Xuan.

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Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China (Grant No. BK2007726)

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Chen, X., Xuan, Y. & Han, Y. Investigation on performance of a solar thermophotovoltaic system. Sci. China Ser. E-Technol. Sci. 51, 2295–2304 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-008-0302-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-008-0302-7

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