Thermionic solar energy converter

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Conversion of sunlight to electricity offers a promising avenue toward a cleaner, more sustainable future. It also represents a rapidly growing worldwide market; the capacity has been increasing at 15-20 percent per year recently. However, although the solar industry already generates tens of Billions of dollars in revenue annually, it still covers less than one percent of the world's electricity demand. Today, the majority of solar electricity generators operate based on the photovoltaic effect and its variations (concentrated photovoltaics or thermal photovoltaics), or thermal methods such as creating steam for a turbine. It is important to continue research and development in these technologies. At the same time, it is crucial to also pursue promising alternative approaches. A different method of generating electricity consists of thermionic solar energy conversion. Thermionic convertors could have very high efficiency and use a large portion of the solar spectrum, deliver a high power density, and are, in principle, simple and robust. However, due to fundamental challenges associated with heat generation and management, these have not become a practical reality so far. Recently, the situation has changed due to the discovery of an unusual heating effect in nanostructured materials, and demonstration of solar thermionic conversion based on it, by our research group at the University of British Columbia. The goal of this project is to capitalize on this finding and establish the foundation for a novel approach to solar electricity generation in which Canada could become a world leader. This project assembles the expertise of researchers from electrical engineering, physics, and mechanical engineering, working in close collaboration with four Canadian industrial partners (Heliene, SunCentral, Plasmionique, Jadoo Technologies). In addition to significant potential economic benefits, as well as societal and environmental benefits associated with clean energy, this project ensures the training of highly qualified personnel in a rapidly growing industrial sector.