# Solar PV vs Solar thermo-electric

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-pv-vs-solar-thermo-electric/847527>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 5, 2020, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-pv-vs-solar-thermo-electric/847527 "2020-02-05T06:35:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2020, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-pv-vs-solar-thermo-electric/847527/1 "2020-02-05T06:35:11Z")

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Researchers at the University of Rochester have created a ‘perfect’ [solar energy absorber](https://phys.org/news/2020-02-lasers-etch-solar-energy-absorber.html). They used lasers to modified the surface of a tungsten plate so it absorbs all wavelengths of light that the Sun produces. One use would be a solar-thermal generator. I assume this is to use the thermoelectric effect to produce electricity.

In terms of power generation, how is this likely to compare with typical PV panels? As I understand it, thermoelectric generators are very inefficient compared with most other ways to generate power. Is this super efficient absorber likely to change that significantly?

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**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2020, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-pv-vs-solar-thermo-electric/847527/2 "2020-02-05T07:31:57Z")

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The system we had for the Space Station was a Thermal Dynamics system. The sun heated an array of phase change salts that stored the heat for the dark portions of an orbit. The working fluid drove a turbine. he system was more efficient than the solar panels. I got cut from the design, though.

[https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/tmsb/dynamicpower.html](https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/tmsb/dynamicpower.html)

Dennis

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**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-pv-vs-solar-thermo-electric/847527/3 "2020-02-06T13:07:58Z")

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> [@Running\_with\_Scissors](#):
>
> Feel free to correct my ignorance here, but the sun gives us both heat and light. PV panels convert light energy to electricity, whereas thermo-electric converts HEAT energy to electricity. And there’s much more energy in the heat than the light, so even a lower efficiency of TE could still translate into more total electricity being produced.

No, when they talk about PV panels being 15% efficient (or whatever the number is), that’s 15% of **all** energy in sunlight, including infrared (which I think is what you are referring to as “heat”).