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John O | October 2016

Graphene-enhanced TIMs make PV cells more efficient


a group of researchers with the department of electrical and computer engineering at the university of california – riverside recently released details from its study of graphene-enhanced thermal interface materials on the efficiency of next generation photo-voltaic solar cells.

 

pv_cells_600

(wikimedia commons)

 

the research determined that adding graphene and its higher thermal conductivity to the tim made the pv cells more efficient, dropping the output voltage of the solar panel “under two-sun concentrated illumination” from 19 to six percent.

 

“the proposed method can recover up to 75% of the power loss in solar cells,” stated the report, which was published in october. the engineers were working for the nano-device labarotary (ndl) and phonon optimized engineered materials center at uc-riverside.

 

as the report stated, the engineers were looking for a solution to the increased thermal load of pv cells and how to provide a thermal management solution that goes beyond the current phase change or thermal interface materials commonly used in concentrated solar cells.

 

“the increase in the temperature of photovoltaic (pv) solar cells affects negatively their power conversion efficiency and decreases their lifetime,” the engineers wrote. “conventional thermal phase change materials (pcms) and thermal interface materials (tims) do not possess the thermal conductivity values sufficient for thermal management of the next generation of pv cells.”

 

with graphene’s introduction, the researchers appear to have found a method for keeping the next generation of solar cells efficient and active for a long time. in the conclusions, the researchers also noted that this method would not only be effective from a power standpoint but also from a cost standpoint and that it can be commercially produced.

 

read the full report at https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1610/1610.01726.pdf

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