There is a need within the space technology community for a modular, integrated renewable energy source that offers a high specific energy density while being very physically robust over an extended lifetime. Such a device, based on several promising emerging technologies, has been conceived and is in the prototype evaluation stage. Specifically, the authors are in the process of qualifying a device, called the 'power tile', which consists of a heterogeneously integrated photovoltaic (PV) cell, a thin (< 0.5 mm) thermoelectric (TE) device and a multi-layer, inorganic solid-state battery. High-efficiency crystalline solar cells convert sunlight directly to electrical energy, while the thermoelectric device will harvest some of the remaining heat energy. This extra power will increase the overall efficiency of the device by at least 3 %. A portion of the energy generated by the PV and TE will be stored in an inorganic solid-state multi-layer thin-film battery (with a capacity ranging from 1 to 10 mAh/cm2). Battery test cells have demonstrated tens of thousands 80 % depth of discharge duty cycles without significant capacity fade. The batteries are currently able to function in temperatures ranging from -20 deg C to 60 deg C, but can withstand intermittent heating and cooling to extremes above 100 deg C and below -40 deg C. An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) based power management and distribution (PMAD) system is under development and will be used to control the entire device, providing efficient battery charging and a constant voltage output to a main power bus.
An integrated power generation and storage system: the 'power tile'
Ein integriertes Energieversorgungs- und -speichersystem: Die 'Leistungskachel'
2003
12 Seiten, 11 Bilder, 8 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
Power generation, storage and charging integrated system
Europäisches Patentamt | 2022
|Europäisches Patentamt | 2023
|Power Generation - An integrated approach to optimising power generation
Online Contents | 2012
Integrated power generation device based on photovoltaic power generation and wave power generation
Europäisches Patentamt | 2022
|