Designing 24-hour Electrical Power Generator: Thermoradiative Device for Harvesting Energy from Sun and Outer Space

Abstract: Energy harvesting from sun and outer space using thermoradiative devices (TRD), despite being promising renewable energy sources, are limited only to daytime and nighttime period, respectively. A system with 24-hour continuous energy generation remains an open question thus far. Here, we propose a TRD-based power generator that harvests solar energy via concentrated solar irradiation during daytime and via thermal infrared emission towards the outer space at nighttime, thus achieving the much sought-after 24-hour electrical power generation. We develop a rigorous thermodynamical model to investigate the performance characteristics, parametric optimum design, and the role of various energy loss mechanisms. Our model predicts that the TRD-based system yields a peak efficiency of 12.6\% at daytime and a maximum power density of 10.8 Wm$^{-2}$ at nighttime, thus significantly outperforming the state-of-art record-setting thermoelectric generator. These findings reveal the potential of TRD towards 24-hour electricity generation and future renewable energy technology.