Systems and methods for converting heat to electrical power

摘要

An apparatus includes a thermo-photovoltaic (TPV) material that is capable of generating electrical power from low temperature heat radiation. An electric field generator is coupled to apply an electric field to the TPV material. The strength of the electric field is sufficient to shift the sensitivity of the TPV material to sense lower frequency radiation than the TPV material can sense when the electric field is not applied and to broaden the band of frequencies over which the TPV is effective.