Passive radiative cooling of solar cells by low-cost and scalable metamaterials: physical simulation and efficiency limits

Matteo Cagnoni; Alberto Tibaldi; Pietro Testa; Jorge S. Dolado; Federica Cappelluti

doi:10.1117/12.2607489

4 March 2022 Passive radiative cooling of solar cells by low-cost and scalable metamaterials: physical simulation and efficiency limits

Matteo Cagnoni, Alberto Tibaldi, Pietro Testa, Jorge S. Dolado, Federica Cappelluti

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11996, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices XI; 1199606 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2607489
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2022, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Radiative cooling is an attractive concept for future sustainable energy strategies, as it might enable passive cooling of buildings and photovoltaic systems, hence facilitating energy savings by boosting performance and lifespan. The key idea is the adoption of materials that strongly emit thermal radiation in the atmosphere transparency window (wavelengths between 8 and 13 μm) as cooling layers. Significant progress in the field of metamaterials has enabled the realization of dielectric photonic structures with properties matching radiative cooling requirements and capable of going below ambient temperature. However, these structures are rather expensive and appear unsuitable for today’s large-scale manufacturing. In the present work, we have studied radiative cooling applied to Shockley-Queisser solar cells by exploring alternative materials, namely cementitious phases, which exhibit the required properties while being low-cost and scalable. We have determined their emission behavior by electromagnetic simulations and estimated the corresponding solar cell operating temperature by means of a detailed-balance model. The results have been benchmarked against the current state-of-the-art and hint at the possible realization of a new class of radiative coolers based on cheap and scalable cementitious materials.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Matteo Cagnoni, Alberto Tibaldi, Pietro Testa, Jorge S. Dolado, and Federica Cappelluti "Passive radiative cooling of solar cells by low-cost and scalable metamaterials: physical simulation and efficiency limits", Proc. SPIE 11996, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices XI, 1199606 (4 March 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2607489

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available