Solar thermophotovoltaic energy conversion systems with tantalum photonic crystal absorbers and emitters

We investigated the performance of solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) systems with 2D tantalum (Ta) PhCs using thermophotovoltaic experiments and a high-fidelity thermal electrical system-level model. The experimental data obtained with 1D PhCs matched the predicted results within experimental uncertainty. The model predicts that the absorber-to-electrical efficiency of a planar STPV consisting of an optimized 2D Ta PhC absorber/emitter and current state of the art InGaAsSb PV cell with a tandem filter can be as high as ~10% at an irradiation flux of ~130 kW/m². This work offers a framework and guidelines to improve the performance of both PhCs and overall STPV systems.