Radiative cooling of commercial silicon solar cells using a pyramid-textured PDMS film. (1st September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Ke; Luo, Guoling; Guo, Xiaowei; Li, Shaorong; Liu, Zhijun; Yang, Cheng
• Is Part Of: Solar energy. Volume 225(2021)
• Page Start: 245
• Page End: 251
• Publication Date: 2021-09-01
• Subjects: Radiative cooling -- Solar cells -- PDMS -- Pyramid structure; Solar energy -- Periodicals; Solar engines -- Periodicals; 621.47
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2021.07.025
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0038-092X

Abstract

Highlights: The PPPF is proposed for radiative cooling of commercial silicon solar cells. The PPPF has an average transmittance of >0.9 in the wavelength range of 0.3-1.1 µm. The PPPF has an average emissivity of approximately 1 in the mid-infrared region. The PPPF is suitable for passive cooling of curved surfaces, such as lasers and detectors. Abstract: Radiative cooling is an electricity-free method for solar cells to dissipate waste heat, which has drawn much attention in recent years. In this paper, a periodic pyramid-textured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film is proposed for radiative cooling of encapsulated commercial silicon solar cells. Spectral tests show that the proposed pyramid-textured PDMS film emits like a blackbody and simultaneously has an average transmittance of >0.9 in the silicon absorption spectrum from 0.3 µm to 1.1 µm. Outdoor cooling tests demonstrate that the encapsulated commercial silicon solar cells with the proposed textured PDMS film can be cooled by over 2 °C. Due to its good optical and flexible properties, the textured PDMS film has great potential for applications in the photovoltaic industry.