Holographically enhanced thermophotovoltaic energy conversion

Promising thermophotovoltaic (TPV) experimental results have been produced at the University of Massachusetts Lowell utilizing an experimental system that incorporates holographic optical elements and tubular geometry thermal sources. The holographic elements provided a mechanism for spectral splitting, as well as concentration, while the tubular thermal source provides a flexible photon emitter geometry that will be capable of utilizing varied thermal sources. The experimental work reported here details the variation in spectral output of a novel experiment. A tubular halogen photon source was located in the focus was to "collimate" the photons emitted by the lamp. The collimated photons were directed onto the holographic element and spectrally redirected as a function of the photon energy.