This report focuses on the characterization of the thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells and modules developed in Work Package 3 (WP3) of the Thermobat project. It also covers the progress made in the development of the point-contact TPV cell, which has been carried out at the Solar Energy Institute using a laser-firing technique. Specifically, this report compares an initial TPV cell prototype, fabricated using a standard technique, with a more advanced cell structure that incorporates several enhancements designed to significantly improve efficiency. Furthermore, these cells are here compared to the commercial Germanium (Ge) TPV devices currently used in the development of the high-temperature thermal battery within the project. This report details the advanced cell structure, provide insights into the fabrication process, and present experimental characterization results, which together constitute the core of the work presented here.
