Uncrewed Systems Technology 048 | Kodiak Driver | 5G focus | Tiburon USV | Skypersonic Skycopter and Skyrover | CES 2023 | Limbach L 2400 DX and L 550 EFG | NXInnovation NX 100 Enviro | Solar power focus | Protegimus Protection

107 Solar power | Focus cost PV cells grows among EV makers. MPPT controllers for such high voltages are in much shorter supply than those for 12-100 V though. Higher voltage MPPTs as well as boost rate controllers to increase the voltages coming from solar panels will be key to bridging the gap between solar technologies and autonomous vehicles in every realm. Future prospects Although modern solar cells have matured in many ways, incremental improvements are still being made. Soon, for instance, an InGaP-GaAs- InGaAs material with a 29.5% conversion efficiency in 25 oC and AM0 conditions is to be released, with increases to 30.5% potentially coming in the near future. Further ahead, some research organisations that were once focused entirely on photovoltaics are now looking towards thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells, which can convert heat flux into electricity. They are similar to PV cells but tuned to the thermal radiation spectrum. While technically that is also possible by using heat engines (usually at lower expense and higher efficiency), TPV panels offer a thinner form factor that could potentially allow the absorption of waste heat generated by IC engines, PEM fuel cells, batteries and electronics, as well as applications such as steam turbines or solar farms. Thermal radiation falls closer to the IR portion of the EM spectrum than to visible light, so TPV cells need different bandgap materials than PV panels. Research is therefore looking to identify ways of improving their efficiencies, which at the moment cannot reach viable double-digit figures without multi-junction layers. Other factors are lowering their costs and cooling themwithout affecting the amount of heat reaching them. While the challenges are significant, the market is likely to be enormous for both recaptured energy and energy storage through TPVs, to the extent that it might one day occupy an equal level of commercial interest to solar cells. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank Mark Osowski of Microlink Devices, Luca Bonci of Solbian and Don Scott of Power Roll for their help with researching this article. Many thanks as well to TomMarkvart, Head of the Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic, and Emeritus Professor of Energy Conversion, University of Southampton, UK, for his peer review of this article. Uncrewed Systems Technology | February/March 2023 France ASCA SAS +33 240 384 000 www.asca.com Germany Gochermann Solar Technology +49 410 390 4488 www.gochermann.com Italy Solbian +39 011 966 3512 www.solbian.eu Lithuania Metsolar +370 650 69905 www.metsolar.eu UK Oxford PV – www.oxfordpv.com Power Roll +44 191 543 9254 www.powerroll.solar Solar Technology International +44 168 477 4000 www.solartechnology.co.uk USA Ascent Solar Technologies +1 720 872 5000 www.ascentsolar.com Envision Solar +1 858 799 4583 www.envisionsolar.com MiaSole +1 408 940 9658 www.miasole.com MicroLink Devices +1 847 588 3001 www.mldevices.com Osazda Energy +1 505 218 7228 www.osazda.com Rocket Lab USA – www.rocketlabusa.com SunPower +1 800 786 7693 www.sunpower.com Some examples of solar power-related suppliers