Light absorbers for optical-thermal-electrical energy conversion

As many nations grapple with the effects of climate change, continued research and development into commercially viable alternative energy sources is strongly needed to help reduce GHG emissions. While much research has already been underway to improve the metal alloys and semiconductor materials used in the creation of thermoelectric generators and coolers, many opportunities continue to exist for investigating and improving the light collection and heat absorption of the surfaces that undergo optical-thermal conversion.

This thesis project involved the design and construction of an experiment to test different types of light absorber surfaces for optical-thermal-electrical energy conversion. A combination of plano-convex lenses will be used as optical concentrators and the generated heat will be converted to electricity by thermoelectric devices. Understanding that higher conversion efficiencies should produce higher output voltages, thermoelectric devices may increasingly be used to power small, portable electronic devices used in communications, education, medicine, and security.