A new solar collector design aims to cut the cost of solar power by combining electricity generation with heat capture and storage in a single unit. The problem is straightforward: solar power is still too expensive per kilowatt-hour to compete widely with fossil fuels, and standard photovoltaic (PV) panels waste most incoming sunlight as heat. This project tackles both issues at once. The researchers will build optical concentrators that focus sunlight more uniformly onto PV cells, use thermoelectric cooling to extend cell lifetimes beyond 50 years, and add algorithms to maximise electrical output. Crucially, the system captures the waste heat—normally lost—and stores it for later use, either to boost the efficiency of co-generation plants or to replace gas burned for heating. If successful, the technology could make solar installations viable for both homes and utility-scale power plants. That would help the UK meet its 2020 CO2 reduction targets while reducing energy insecurity and fuel poverty. The project includes industrial partners to commercialise the results during the four-year programme, so the path from lab to roof or grid is built in from the start.
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This research project aims to tackle the barriers inhibiting the rapid introduction of large amounts of low-cost electrical and thermal solar energy generation by driving down the cost per kWh. To do this we will: * Develop enhanced optical concentrator systems which exhibit improved luminance uniformity over the photovoltaic cell; * Extend the lifetime of the PV cells to beyond 50 years by the use of active thermoelectric cooling; * Increase the energy conversion efficiency by linearising the PV cell electrical generation, controlling cell temperature and by implementing enhanced Maximum Power Point Tracking algorithms; * Integrate a thermal storage system with the PV / TE receiver. * Capture large amounts of thermal energy from the solar-> electrical conversion process and use this to enhance the efficiency of co-generation plant or displace fossil fuel combustion. The technology resulting from this 4 year research programme will be commercialised throughout the project life by a number of industrial partners and be equally suited to domestic use or to utility-scale power plants connected to the grid. Such installations will make a significant contribution to the UK meeting its 2020 CO2 reduction targets and help ameliorate the growing problems of energy insecurity and energy poverty.
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