Thermodynamics of Photovoltaic Conversion with Nonreciprocal Processes

Nonreciprocal photon and electron processes can violate Kirchhoff’s law, detailed balance, and chemical equilibrium in the system of electrons and phonons. As the fundamental Shockley – Queisser limit of photovoltaic conversion is directly based on detailed balance, nonreciprocal processes can improve the efficiency beyond the Shockley – Queisser limitation. We derived thermodynamic limits of efficiency of photovoltaic converters with nonreciprocal processes and consider various realization of nonreciprocal converters. We demonstrate that even dissipative nonreciprocal processes can increase the conversion efficiency beyond the Shockley – Queisser limit. The thermodynamic theory is applied to solar energy conversion, laser power beaming, and thermophotovoltaic conversion.