TY - JOUR
T1 - Harvesting renewable energy from Earth's mid-infrared emissions
AU - Byrnes, S. J.
AU - Blanchard, R.
AU - Capasso, F.
N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): CRG-1-2012-FRA-005-HAR
Acknowledgements: We thank John Dykema and Roger O’Brient for helpful discussions. The authors acknowledge support from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Award CRG-1-2012-FRA-005-HAR).
This publication acknowledges KAUST support, but has no KAUST affiliated authors.
PY - 2014/3/3
Y1 - 2014/3/3
N2 - It is possible to harvest energy from Earth's thermal infrared emission into outer space. We calculate the thermodynamic limit for the amount of power available, and as a case study, we plot how this limit varies daily and seasonally in a location in Oklahoma. We discuss two possible ways to make such an emissive energy harvester (EEH): A thermal EEH (analogous to solar thermal power generation) and an optoelectronic EEH (analogous to photovoltaic power generation). For the latter, we propose using an infrared-frequency rectifying antenna, and we discuss its operating principles, efficiency limits, system design considerations, and possible technological implementations.
AB - It is possible to harvest energy from Earth's thermal infrared emission into outer space. We calculate the thermodynamic limit for the amount of power available, and as a case study, we plot how this limit varies daily and seasonally in a location in Oklahoma. We discuss two possible ways to make such an emissive energy harvester (EEH): A thermal EEH (analogous to solar thermal power generation) and an optoelectronic EEH (analogous to photovoltaic power generation). For the latter, we propose using an infrared-frequency rectifying antenna, and we discuss its operating principles, efficiency limits, system design considerations, and possible technological implementations.
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/598447
UR - http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1402036111
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84896519492&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1402036111
DO - 10.1073/pnas.1402036111
M3 - Article
C2 - 24591604
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 111
SP - 3927
EP - 3932
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
IS - 11
ER -
