In the quest for energy independence, researchers have studied solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) as a promising source of solar electricity generation.
In the quest for energy independence, researchers have studied solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) as a promising source of solar electricity generation. Unlike the photovoltaics currently used in most solar panels, STEGs can harness all kinds of thermal energy in addition to sunlight. The simple devices have hot and cold sides with semiconductor materials in between, and the difference in temperature between the sides generates electricity through a physical phenomenon known as the Seebeck effect.
But current STEGs have major efficiency limitations preventing them from being more widely adopted as a practical form of energy production. Right now, most solar thermoelectric generators convert less than 1 percent of sunlight into electricity, compared to roughly 20 percent for residential solar panel systems.
That gap in efficiency was dramatically reduced through new techniques developed by researchers at the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics. In a study published in Light: Science and Applications, the team described their unique spectral engineering and thermal management methods to create a STEG device that generates 15 times more power than previous devices.
Read more at: University of Rochester
Rochester researcher Chunlei Guo tests a solar thermoelectric generator (STEG) etched with femtosecond laser pulses to boost solar energy absorption and efficiency. His lab’s innovative black metal technology design helps create a STEG device 15 times more efficient than previous devices, paving the way for new renewable energy technologies. (Photo Credit: University of Rochester/ J. Adam Fenster)
