The photovoltaic Dyson sphere

IF 6.3 2区材料科学 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells Pub Date : 2025-03-15 DOI:10.1016/j.solmat.2025.113589

Ian Marius Peters

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study explores the concept of a photovoltaic Dyson sphere, a megastructure designed to capture and convert a star's energy for use in advanced technological applications. The temperature of a Dyson sphere composed of both blackbody and grey body materials is investigated. For efficient photovoltaic conversion, the semiconductor sphere must be coated with a black material to regulate temperature, ensuring it remains low enough for photovoltaic generation. The environmental impact on planetary conditions is also analyzed, revealing that only a Dyson sphere with an extension beyond Earth's orbit could allow life to persist on Earth while maintaining suitable temperatures for photovoltaic efficiency. Such a structure would still increase Earth’s temperature, necessitating planetary temperature control systems—an issue that parallels the challenges of mitigating global warming. Considering material availability in the solar system, it was found that a partial Dyson sphere at 2.13 AU, using 1.3 × 10²³ kg of silicon, could generate 4 % of the Sun’s power, yielding 15.6 YW of electricity while increasing temperature on Earth by less than 3K.

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来源期刊

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

12.60

自引率

11.60%

发文量

513

审稿时长

47 days

期刊介绍： Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells is intended as a vehicle for the dissemination of research results on materials science and technology related to photovoltaic, photothermal and photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion. Materials science is taken in the broadest possible sense and encompasses physics, chemistry, optics, materials fabrication and analysis for all types of materials.