Experimental investigation on STPV system

The subassemblies of the solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) system including the concentrator, the emitter, the filter, batteries and cooling system are experimentally investigated and processed. The structure of STPV converter is designed and experimentally built. Then by combining with the auto-tracking module, tests are performed on the whole system and the characteristics including the start-up, the emitter temperature distribution and the cell output power are measured, also the effects of the filter, the quartz glass thermal shrouds, and quartz glass window, on the emitter temperature and cell performance are analyzed. Finally, the system efficiency is evaluated with the experimental results and the reasons for the difference between the theoretical and experimental results are discussed.