New solar-biomass assisted thermophotovoltaic system and parametrical analysis

This paper proposes a new technical route of solar-biomass assisted thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system for power generation which uses renewable fuel and contributes to carbon neutrality. Here, a thermophysics model is established for solar-biomass assisted TPV based on energy-balance principle. The effects of some key parameters on the new system performance are investigated, including concentrate ratio, emitter area, biomass fuels, etc. Besides, biomass fuel saving after adding solar energy is investigated. The results show that the solar-biomass assisted TPV system can not only increase the output power of photovoltaic cells by more than 10 kW/m2 compared to biomass-driven TPV but also increase the electrical efficiency by nearly 10 percentage points. It is pointed out that improving the absorptance of solar absorber is the key for system optimization. Furthermore, the annual performance analysis shows that it also saves biomass fuel by up to 60% in one year. This study provides a reference for the design and application of renewable TPV technology.