Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Solar Light”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 991 records · Page 55
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

SeaWiFS technical report series. Volume 27: Case studies for SeaWiFS calibration and validation, part 3

This document provides brief reports, or case studies, on a number of investigations sponsored by the Calibration and Validation Team (CVT) within the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) Project. Chapter I describes a comparison of the irradiance immersion coefficients determined for several different marine environmental radiometers (MERs). Chapter 2 presents an analysis of how light absorption by atmospheric oxygen will influence the radiance measurements in band 7 of the SeaWiFS instrument. Chapter 3 gives the results of the second ground-based solar calibration of the instrument, which was undertaken after the sensor was modified to reduce the effects of internal stray light. (The first ground-based solar calibration of SeaWiFS is described in Volume 19 in the SeaWiFS Technical Report Series.) Chapter 4 evaluates the effects of ship shadow on subsurface irradiance and radiance measurements deployed from the deck of the R/V Weatherbird 11 in the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda. Chapter 5 illustrates the various ways in which a single data day of SeaWiFS observations can be defined, and why the spatial definition is superior to the temporal definition for operational usage.

Hooker, Stanford B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

V-Grooved GaAs Solar Cell

V-grooved GaAs solar photovoltaic cells increase optical coupling and greater conversion of light into electricity. Increases both trapping of incident light and lengths of optical paths in cell material. Net effect increases in total absorptivity, tolerance to damage by energetic particles, and short-circuit current. These improvements expected to follow from similar improvements obtained in silicon solar cells.

Bailey, S. G.↗
DOE OSTI2024

The development and applications of multidimensional biomolecular spectroscopy illustrated by photosynthetic light harvesting

The parallel and synergistic developments of atomic resolution structural information, new spectroscopic methods, their underpinning formalism, and the application of sophisticated theoretical methods have led to a step function change in our understanding of photosynthetic light harvesting, the process by which photosynthetic organisms collect solar energy and supply it to their reaction centers to initiate the chemistry of photosynthesis. The new spectroscopic methods, in particular multidimensional spectroscopies, have enabled a transition from recording rates of processes to focusing on mechanism. We discuss two ultrafast spectroscopies – two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy and two-dimensional electronic-vibrational spectroscopy – and illustrate their development through the lens of photosynthetic light harvesting. Both spectroscopies provide enhanced spectral resolution and, in different ways, reveal pathways of energy flow and coherent oscillations which relate to the quantum mechanical mixing of, for example, electronic excitations (excitons) and nuclear motions. The new types of information present in these spectra provoked the application of sophisticated quantum dynamical theories to describe the temporal evolution of the spectra and provide new questions for experimental investigation. While multidimensional spectroscopies have applications in many other areas of science, we feel that the investigation of photosynthetic light harvesting has had the largest influence on the development of spectroscopic and theoretical methods for the study of quantum dynamics in biology, hence the focus of this review. We conclude with key questions for the next decade of this review.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2003

A Study of Planetary System Formation and Evolution Using a Dual Channel Adaptive Optics Imaging Polarimeter

The award I received from the Graduate Student Research Program in 2001, and the renewal award in 2002, supported the gathering and processing of my thesis data, and the presentation of my scientific results at astronomy conferences. Ultimately, this led to a successful defense of my PhD thesis. In the thesis work, I built, calibrated, and observed with the first dual imaging polarimeter ever used in series with a high order adaptive optics system and on an 8 meter class telescope. The instrument was arguably the most sensitive instrument for the high-contrast detection of the scattered light from circumstellar disks. The success of the instrument has provided the impetus for the construction of several similar simultaneous adaptive optics imaging polarimeters. In the course of the observations, a number of circumstellar disks were resolved for the first time in their scattered light, such as the disk around the classical T-tauri stars, LkCa 15 and LkHa 262. A sample of 24 young, nearby, solar-analog stars were observed with the instrument in search of the scattered light signature from debris disks around these stars. Although none of the stars revealed any obvious scattered light signatures, a meaningful limit was placed on the dust population around these stars. Also, a brown dwarf binary system was found to be a companion to one of the solar-analog stars observed, HD130948. A careful monitoring of the orbit of the binary brown dwarf will result in a dynamical mass determination of the objects, providing a valuable calibration of the physical models explaining brown dwarf evolution.

Potter, Daniel E.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Semiconductor‐Electrocatalyst Contacts: Theory, Experiment, and Applications to Solar Water Photoelectrolysis

The goal of the work supported by this program was to use new types of photoelectrochemical experiments, supported by simulation and theory, to develop an improved microscopic picture of electron transfer in combined semiconductor|catalyst|solution (sem|cat|sol) systems. An emphasis was placed on developing techniques which can directly characterize electronic interfacial phenomena without first assuming a junction model. We then aimed to illustrate the design principles that enhance interfacial processes and enable high-efficiency devices. Our work thus provides deep insight into the processes that, in general, use light to drive chemical reactions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of Light-Harvesting Gold Nanoclusters Fully Functionalized with Antenna Chromophores

The development of efficient light-harvesting systems is important to understand the key aspects of solar-energy conversion processes and to utilize them in various photonic applications. In this study, atomically well-defined gold nanoclusters are reported as a new platform to fabricate artificial light-harvesting systems. An efficient amide coupling method is developed to synthesize water-soluble Au 22 clusters fully protected with pyrene chromophores by taking advantage of their facile phase-transfer reaction. The synthesized Au 22 clusters with densely packed 18 pyrene chromophores (Au 22 –PyB 18 ) exhibit triple-emission in blue, green, and red wavelength regions arising respectively from pyrene monomer, pyrene excimer, and Au 22 emission, producing bright white light emission together. The photoluminescence of Au 22 is enhanced by more than tenfold, demonstrating that pyrenes at the periphery efficiently channel the absorbed energy to the luminescent Au 22 at the center. A combination of femtosecond transient absorption and anisotropy measurements of Au 22 –PyB 18 explicitly reveals three main decay components of 220 fs, 3.5 ps, and 160 ps that can be assigned to energy migration between pyrenes and energy transfer processes from pyrene monomer and excimer to the central Au 22 , respectively.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

PV Variability at the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center (Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-11-425)

In order to support the continued integration of utility-scale solar photovoltaic sites into the Florida transmission system and to further enhance our understanding of the effects of cloud-induced output variability on the site and transmission operations, participant elects to enter a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). Under this agreement, NREL will work with participant to instrument their PV plant in DeSoto county FL and obtain solar radiation and power output data. The Florida Power & Light's (FPL) DeSoto Next Generation Energy Center is the largest installed PV plant in the country (25 MW). Our goal is that this site be instrumented and used for research into PV variability and forecasting.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Spin Solar Cell Phenomenon on a Single-Molecule Magnet (SMM) Impacted CoFeB-Based Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

The single-molecule magnet (SMM) is demonstrated here to transform conventional magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), a memory device used in present-day computers, into solar cells. For the first time, we demonstrated an electronic spin-dependent solar cell effect on an SMM-transformed MTJ under illumination from unpolarized white light. We patterned cross-junction-shaped devices to form a CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB-based MTJ. The MgO barrier thickness at the intersection between the two exposed junction edges was less than the SMM extent, which enabled the SMM molecules to serve as channels to conduct spin-dependent transport. The SMM channels yielded a region of long-range magnetic ordering around these engineered molecular junctions. Our SMM possessed a hexanuclear [Mn 6 (μ 3 -O) 2 (H 2 N-sao) 6 (6-atha) 2 (EtOH) 6 ] [H 2 N-saoH = salicylamidoxime, 6-atha = 6-acetylthiohexanoate] complex and thioesters end groups to form bonds with metal films. SMM-doped MTJs were shown to exhibit a solar cell effect and yielded ≈80 mV open-circuit voltage and ≈10 mA/cm 2 saturation current density under illumination from one sun equivalent radiation dose. A room-temperature Kelvin Probe AFM (KPAFM) study provided direct evidence that the SMM transformed the electronic properties of the MTJ’s electrodes over a lateral area in excess of several thousand times larger in extent than the area spanned by the molecular junctions themselves. As a result, the decisive factor in observing this spin-photovoltaic effect is the formation of SMM spin channels between the two different ferromagnetic electrodes, which in turn is able to catalyze the long-range transformation in each electrode around the junction area.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Comparison Between Industrial Energy Efficiency Measures in Guatemala and the United States

Energy auditing has been cited as a key tool in closing the gap between the actual energy consumption in industrial facilities and what should be at an environmentally sustainable level. Several factors affect the likelihood that energy audits will be effective in closing that gap, and more analysis is needed to understand these factors, especially for developing nations. This study compares three energy efficiency measures (EEMs) frequently recommended in both the United States and Guatemala, namely, installing solar panels to generate electricity, installing higher-efficiency lighting, and upgrading to premium efficiency motors. The implementation of each of these EEMs contributes to more sustainable energy consumption, and each of these EEM’s payback periods is affected by capital costs, energy costs, and other local factors analyzed in this study. Projected payback periods for each EEM based on Guatemalan and U.S. capital cost and energy cost ranges are assessed via EEM-specific payback period calculations and compared to the energy audit data from each country. While lower capital costs incentivize EEM implementation and reduce payback periods, there is an interplay between energy cost and capital cost that impacts the trends in the U.S. and Guatemala. As in the case of the solar panel installation EEM, though Guatemalan companies pay ~110% more for electricity than U.S. companies, when Guatemalan capital costs are lower, payback periods are lower than in the U.S. Conversely, in cases where Guatemalan capital costs are higher—as for higher-efficiency lighting and motor installation—Guatemalan payback periods are roughly the same as those in the U.S. because of the higher Guatemalan energy costs.

Khosla, Radhika↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Coronal Microscale Observatory

It has been a longstanding challenge to identify the mechanisms responsible for heating the solar corona, in part because heating, whether by waves or magnetic reconnection, is thought to be concentrated in thus far unresolved volumes with characteristic scales ≲100 km. The Coronal Microscale Observatory (CMO) is a mission concept designed to image these microscale heating events, identify the dominant physical mechanisms that control their initiation and evolution, and understand their effects on the formation of the solar wind. CMO positions three spacecraft and three instruments near the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point. One instrument is a cluster of 6 coaligned extreme ultraviolet (EUV) telescopes that image a common field of view with ultrahigh angular resolution (0.02−0.07 arcsec) in narrow wavelength bands, each sensitive to emission from plasma in a limited temperature range. The second instrument is a multi-band, full-disk, externally occulted coronagraph. Finally, a two-band fine scale EUV imager (resolution 0.3 arcsec) provides a larger field of view for context and additional science. The three CMO craft fly in precise formation to ensure that the EUV imagers point to a desired target on the Sun and the external occulter accurately blocks the solar disk. The novel mission architecture arises from the intrinsically long EUV focal length (≳100 m) of diffractive optics known as photon sieves, which achieve nearly diffraction-limited EUV imaging but require a distributed telescope, in which the optics and- the image sensors are on separate spacecraft. Two spacecraft are also needed to position an external occulter 200 m in front of the coronagraph, which enables visible-light imaging of the corona very close to the solar limb with undiminished angular resolution. Recent advances in fabricating ultraprecise and smooth reflective optics suggest that a conventional (single spacecraft)EUV “microscope” may now be feasible in an Explorer-class mission that could achieve a subset of the scientific objectives of CMO.

Douglas Rabin↗
DOE OSTI2024

Review of the August 1972 and March 1989 (Allen) Space Weather Events: Can We Learn Anything New From Them?

Abstract Updated summaries of the August 1972 and March 1989 space weather events have been constructed. The features of these two events are compared to the Carrington 1859 event and a few other major space weather events. It is concluded that solar active regions release energy in a variety of forms (X‐rays, EUV photons, visible light, coronal mass ejection (CME) plasmas and fields) and they in turn can produce other energetic effects (solar energetic particles (SEPs), magnetic storms) in a variety of ways. It is clear that there is no strong one‐to‐one relationship between these various energy sinks. The energy is often distributed differently from one space weather event to the next. Concerning SEPs accelerated at interplanetary CME (ICME) shocks, it is concluded that the Fermi mechanism associated with quasi‐parallel shocks is relatively weak and that the gradient drift mechanism (electric fields) at quasi‐perpendicular shocks will produce harder spectra and higher fluxes. If the 4 August 1972 intrinsic magnetic cloud condition (southward interplanetary magnetic field instead of northward) and the interplanetary Sun to 1 au conditions were different, a 4 August 1972 magnetic storm and magnetospheric dawn‐to‐dusk electric fields substantially larger than the Carrington event would have occurred. Under these special interplanetary conditions, a Miyake et al. (2012), https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11123 ‐like extreme SEP event may have been formed. The long duration complex 1989 storm was probably greater than the Carrington storm in the sense that the total ring current particle energy was larger.

Tsurutani, Bruce T.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Neon isotope studies of Fayetteville and Kapoeta meteorites and clues to ancient solar activity

Under the assumption that the solar-flare bombardment of the irradiated grains of gas-rich meteorites occurred about 4.5 b.y. ago on the parent body regoliths at 3 A.U., an estimate of the solar cosmic ray-produced Ne-21 is made by studying etched pyroxene minera separates from both light and dark portions of the gas-rich meteorites Fayetteville and Kapoeta. Excesses of solar cosmic ray Ne-21 were observed in dark portions of these meteorites, after accounting for their galactic cosmic ray Ne-21 production and solar flare Ne-21. In order to produce the estimated solar cosmic ray Ne-21 in the present samples, highly enhanced solar cosmic ray proton fluxes from the ancient sun are required.

Padia, J. T.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Photon management in silicon photovoltaic cells: A critical review

With the practical efficiency of the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell approaching its theoretical limit, pushing conversion efficiencies even higher now relies on reducing every type of power loss that can occur within the device. Limiting optical losses is therefore critical and requires effective management of incident photons in terms of how they interact with the device. Ultimately, photon management within a PV cell means engineering the device and constituent materials to maximize photon absorption within the active semiconductor and therefore reduce the number of photons lost through other means, most notably reflection and parasitic absorption. There have been great advancements in the front and the rear side photon management techniques in recent years. This review aims to discuss these advancements and compare the various approaches, not only in terms of increases in photogenerated current, but also their compatibility with different PV cell architectures and potential trade-offs, like increased surface recombination or scalability for high-volume manufacturing. In this review, a comprehensive discussion of a wide variety of the front and the rear side photon management structures are presented with suggestions to improve the already achieved performance further. Here, this review is unique because it not only presents the recent development in photon management techniques, but also offers through analysis of these techniques and pathways to improve further.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Role of a 3D Structure in Energy Transfer in Mixed-Ligand Metal–Organic Frameworks

We present a detailed investigation of the photophysical properties of mixed-ligand pyrene- and porphyrin-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as a function of their 3D structure. Solvothermal reactions between metal salts (InCl 3 , Zr(acac) 4 , and ZrCl 4 ) and suitable ratios of 1,3,6,8-tetrakis(p-benzoic acid)pyrene (TBAPy) and meso-tetrakis- (4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) were performed to prepare a series of mixed-ligand ROD-7, NU-901, and NU-1000 MOFs. Time-resolved and steady-state fluorescence measurements were conducted on the mixed-ligand MOFs to study their photophysics. Based on the results, we concluded that upon excitation of TBAPy linkers in the MOFs, singlet excitation energy migrates across TBAPy linkers until it finds a TCPP unit. TCPP acts as an energy trap and quenches the excitation. The efficiency of TBAPy-to-TBAPy energy transfer was found to be sensitive to the structural parameters of MOFs. Analysis of steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence data revealed that excitation energy transfer (EET) is most efficient in ROD-7, followed by NU-901 and NU-1000. We propose that topology that invokes the shorter interchromophoric distances between TBAPy linkers in ROD-7 is responsible for its higher EET efficiency. The distance dependence of the EET rate constant (kEET) was investigated to gain insight into the mechanistic aspects of energy transfer in MOFs. This study revealed that (a) energy transfer in MOFs deviates from the classical Förster model and (b) the geometrical arrangement of linkers influences the mechanism of EET in MOFs. A theoretical investigation was also performed to determine energy-transfer rate constants along different directions and assess the directionality of energy transfer in these MOFs. The magnitude of rate constants indicated that energy transfer in ROD-7 should be highly anisotropic along the stacking direction. Furthermore, these findings suggest that ROD-7 is a promising candidate to play the role of the light-harvesting and energy-transfer component in solar energy conversion devices, where directional energy transfer is required.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Polariton Control of Molecular Charge Transfer in Perylene Diimide Semiconductors

We report the modulation of molecular charge transfer in a bay-substituted perylene diimide derivative embedded in a planar distributed Bragg reflector microcavity. Angle-resolved reflectance spectra confirm the formation of upper and lower polaritons with clear Rabi splitting, indicating strong coupling between the cavity mode and molecular excitons. Using broadband transient absorption spectroscopy, we compare the ultrafast dynamics of cavity and non-cavity films. While excited-state absorption and stimulated emission pathways remain largely unchanged, kinetic modeling reveals a moderate increase in the charge transfer rate and yield under strong coupling. This enhancement is attributed to a reduction in the effective driving force via the formation of the lower polariton, placing the system deeper into the Marcus inverted regime. Our results demonstrate a promising non-chemical method leveraging cavity quantum electrodynamics to modulate charge separation processes in molecular semiconductors.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Freezing water at constant volume and under confinement

Water expands upon freezing. What happens when water is cooled below 0 °C in an undeformable, constant-volume container? This is a fundamental question in materials thermodynamics, and is also relevant in biological, geological, and technological applications in which ice forms under nano-, meso-, or macroscale confinement. Here, we analyze the phase-equilibria and kinetic behaviors of water and ice-1h in an isochoric (constant-volume) system. By making use of the Helmholtz potential F (temperature, volume), in contrast to the Gibbs potential G (temperature, pressure), we demonstrate significant changes in phase behavior when the specific volume of the container is constrained below that of ice-1h. We construct a T–V (temperature–volume) phase diagram for water and ice that features a broad two-phase equilibrium region, and we further derive an isochoric nucleation theory that reveals the existence of a critical confinement volume, on the order of microns, below which ice-1h is kinetically prohibited from forming.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Unravelling a long-lived ligand-to-metal cluster charge transfer state in Ce–TCPP metal organic frameworks

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as promising photocatalytic materials for solar energy conversion. However, a fundamental understanding of light harvesting and charge separation (CS) dynamics in MOFs remains underexplored, yet they are key factors that determine the efficiency of photocatalysis. In this work, we report the design and CS dynamics of the Ce–TCPP MOF using ultrafast spectroscopic methods.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗