Design and fabrication of a rectenna system to be coupled to photovoltaic solar cells

Inkjet-printed metamaterials and nanotechnology enabled flexible antennas fabricated on glass or polyester substrates help in further absorption of transmitted radiation through photovoltaic solar cells. Using metamaterials processed by inkjet printing and diffusing it, for a rectenna system coupled with photovoltaic solar cells, as rectifying antenna, an antenna in system in tandem is created.;Metamaterials are artificial materials engineered to have properties that may not be found in nature (negative refractive index). When used in an antenna, they increase gain. For efficient solar cell use, nanophotonics on the incident surface or metamaterials under it as a rectenna, can enhance voltage gain in cloudy or rainy condition, which in turn increases the overall efficiency and reduces the amount of material required, thereby cutting costs.;Photovoltaic is a field of technology and research related to practical application of photovoltaic cells in producing electricity from light. Cells are described as photovoltaic cells when the light source is not necessarily sunlight but can be lamplight, artificial light, or any other source used for detecting light or other electromagnetic radiation at different light intensity and producing voltage. These can be, for example, infrared detectors, or detectors for measurement of light intensity. Conventional solar cell films are typically manufactured using expensive and slow manufacturing methods, which rely on high-temperature fabrication and finicky `vacuum deposition' processes for depositing solar materials onto substrates (III-V elements). The resultant products are simply too thick to allow for transparency. An important consideration in the development of a commercially viable solar powered cell is the glass substrate. The learning process and skills involved in developing the antenna below a solar cell is a great experience in theory and practice. My main effort will be to design and check performance of different rectenna module designs.