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% of sunlight into electricity, compared to roughly 20% for residential solar panel systems.
That gap in efficiency has been 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.
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