This concentrator thermophoto-voltaic SunCell® (cTPV-SunCell) comprises a plasma cell that injects hydrogen and catalyst, and two electromagnetic pumps serve as electrodes by injecting intersecting molten tin streams from corresponding reservoirs wherein the connected streams carry a low voltage, high current to form a Hydrino®-reaction plasma with an energy release of 200 times that of burning the hydrogen that can be obtained from water as a 0.5% parasitic load.
Brilliant Light Power, Inc. has developed a cTPV-SunCell capable of emitting 250 kW of 3000-5000 Kelvin blackbody plasma radiation through a window to be converted by a dense receiver array of concentrator PV cells delivering electrical power output. Infrared light that is PV inactive is reflected to the blackbody plasma, absorbed, and recycled as more blackbody radiation to greatly increase the efficiency up to 85%. Essential to the operation of this cTPV-SunCell® is that the PV window does not metalize, which is the norm for plasmas that comprise metal. As shown in this test*, the PV window self-cleans, a major milestone towards power for essentially all power applications with no fuels or grid connection, projected $20/kW cap cost, $0.001 kW/h generation cost with no transmission, distribution, or demand charges, no supply chain issues, and zero pollution including CO2. For a reaction cell chamber temperature greater than 1350 °C and sufficient window solid transmission angle, ray path modeling projects that all of the power can be emitted from the cTPV-SunCell as light. Replacement of the current flat, 8 inch diameter window with a 10 inch diameter domed PV window is planned.
*The camera attenuates the intensity of the brilliant white light emitted to reveal contrast wherein the degree of filtering is evident by the darkening of the periphery.