Evaluation and Enhancement of Laser Power Transfer Efficiency in the Presence of Atmospheric Turbulence

Laser-based wireless power transfer (LWPT) technology has attracted more and more attention in the field of long-range wireless power transfer (WPT). In practical applications, the light intensity distribution of the laser beam at the receiving end has a crucial impact on the efficiency of the power transfer system. In this article, the optimization of photovoltaic (PV) array configuration is explored in an atmospheric turbulent environment under the irradiation of Gaussian (GS) and flat-top (FT) laser beams. By comparing the photoelectric conversion efficiency of 3×3 PV arrays under the irradiation of GS beams and three different orders of FT beams, we conducted a comprehensive investigation on the impact of GS beam and FT beams as light sources on the performance output of PV arrays. We develop a model of atmospheric turbulence and analyze its effects on laser power transmission. Further numerical simulation was performed to evaluate the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the two laser beams when irradiated by the PV array after experiencing atmospheric turbulence. The results indicate that the FT beam exhibits superior characteristics compared to the GS beam in most cases. FT beams with orders 2, 5, and 10 exhibit an over 8% increase in power compared to a GS beam upon direct irradiation. After passing through weak turbulence for a distance of 2 km, the power enhancement exceeds 9% for all three FT beams. These findings highlight the potential advantages of FT beams in LWPT and offer new insights into the design and optimization of long-range WPT systems.