1. Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) conversion principles

1.1 Background and challenges

In order to continue living in a healthy environment, mankind needs to find solutions that cover its energy needs in a clean, efficient and safe way. Against this backdrop, it is vital to make a success of the energy transition aimed at drastically reducing the use of fossil fuels. To achieve this, a major objective is the production of electricity with very low greenhouse gas emissions.

Nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and solar power generation are currently helping to meet this objective. However, the last two options, which use sources that are inexhaustible on a human scale (known as renewables), are limited by the intermittency of these sources. This creates a need for electricity storage, the growth of which will be proportional...