Thanks to the reviewers who served JPE in 2022.

Conventional electricity distribution using copper wires is well established due to its high efficiency. However, recent research and development on power-over-fiber (PoF) has proposed optical fiber as an alternative to copper wire as the transmission medium for electricity distribution. The research and development on PoF technology have gained significant momentum over the past decade due to its advantage over copper cables in providing electrical isolation and reducing space in remote sites. The technological advances in laser diodes, fiber optic cable fabrications, and semiconductor manufacturing contribute to developing an efficient PoF system, making them more commercially viable. This paper reviews various PoF systems that imply different arrangements of high-power lasers, fiber optic cables, and photovoltaic power converters. The PoF systems are made available for various applications such as in-home applications, smart power management, and powering sensors with bidirectional communications. The comparison of the PoF composition, commercialized PoF systems, and patented PoF systems are also comprehensively discussed. Finally, the challenges in implementing PoF systems are highlighted, as well as future prospects for research and applications. The information reviewed in this paper aims to provide a roadmap for developing a future PoF system with improved power conversion efficiency.

Passive radiative cooling is an environmentally friendly and energy-free cooling method, but the practical application of radiative cooling materials is still limited by high costs and cumbersome preparation processes. Here, low-cost and chemically stable polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was selected as the raw material and porous P-PVDF films for daytime radiative cooling were prepared by a simple phase separation method. A solar reflectivity of 95.6% and an atmospheric window emissivity of 99.1% were obtained, resulting in high-performance radiative cooling without a metal reflective layer. A cooling power of 69.43 W · m ^{− 2} was achieved in direct sunlight, achieving sub-ambient cooling of 4.2°C. This work provides a unique solution for radiative cooling materials, which is expected to be implemented in practical applications of passive radiative cooling.

The rearrangement of a photovoltaic array (PVA) plays a key role in its power output subjected to partial shading situations (PSSs). Achieving maximum power output under PSSs is a significant parameter to decide the best topology for the PVA framework (PVAF). An odd-even sudoku framework (OESF) for the total cross-tied (TCT) array that augments the resultant power production is proposed. OESF is designed in such a way that the PV modules (PVMs) are rearranged in a particular pattern within the TCT array without altering the electrical connections. The comparative performance analysis of the reconfigured OESF is done with those of the existing PVAFs. The extent of mismatch power losses (MPLs) abruptly affecting the performance of PVAs is studied under PSSs and the results are analyzed. The results show that as compared to the other frameworks, the proposed OESF can minimize the MPLs and subsequently enforce significant improvement in the global maximum power point, fill factor (FF), and efficiency (EF). The different PSSs are considered for the study and the observations show that the MPL in case of OESF is 6.64%, which validates that there is reduction in the power losses displayed by OESF reconfiguration, in contrast to other frameworks considered. Further, the maximum values of FF and EF for OESF are 52.40% and 13.83%, respectively, signifying a considerable enhancement in both the values through the proposed technique.

The theoretical efficiency of solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) systems is much greater than their efficiencies achieved in practice. Optical cavities can improve the performance of STPV systems by increasing the emitter-to-PV cell view factor and by facilitating photon recycling, whereby photons are reflected back to the emitter. Photon recycling reduces losses and increases the temperature of the emitter, thereby increasing efficiency. Our study presents STPV systems comprising optical cavities in the form of oblate and prolate spheroids. The geometry of the optical cavity can be tuned to control the degree of photon recycling, emitter temperature, emission losses, and the emitter-to-PV cell effective view factor and separation distance without using complex nano- or microstructured materials or optical filters. Numerical analysis shows an optical cavity in the form of a prolate spheroid, prolate spheroid with a middle annular aperture specular reflector, and integrated oblate- and prolate-spheroid can be used to achieve efficiencies of 17.7%, 18.9%, and 22%, respectively, under solar irradiation at a concentration factor of 1500X. These robust spheroid-based optical cavities can be used to design improved STPV systems with increased durability and higher performance.