Passive Massive MIMO Hybrid Rf-Perovskite Energy Harvesting Frontend for LEO Satellite Applications

Elias, Fanuel, Ekpo, Sunday ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9219-3759, Alabi, Stephen, Enahoro, Sunday, Uko, Mfonobong, Ijaz, Muhammad, Ji, Helen, Unnikrishnan, Rahul and Olasunkanmi, Nurudeen (2024) Passive Massive MIMO Hybrid Rf-Perovskite Energy Harvesting Frontend for LEO Satellite Applications. In: 5th Space Passive Component Days (SPCD 2024), 15 October 2024 - 18 October 2024, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.

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Abstract

Satellites operating in the low-Earth orbit (LEO) face significant challenges in managing energy consumption during eclipse periods and/or reduced solar illumination, resulting in limited autonomy, and low operational lifespan and capabilities. This paper presents a novel approach utilising a hybrid RF-perovskite photovoltaic energy harvester for LEO small satellites. The presented research findings address the critical issue of energy sustainability in space missions, emphasising the benefits of 3D-printed integrated passive devices on satellite mission longevity and operational efficiency. The proposed hybrid system integrates power dividers-combiners, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) RF energy harvesting antennas, and perovskite photovoltaic (PPV) technologies to maximise energy capture. A comprehensive mathematical model is developed to analyse and optimise the passive subsystems’ efficiencies for a typical small satellite, considering the variations in solar flux and RF energy availability in the LEO environment. The integrated passive devices technology was adopted for 16 MIMO antennas, power divider-combiner and energy beamformer topology for efficient inter-satellite constellations energy transfer. For the first time, the mathematical model of the hybrid passive wireless RF-PPV system architecture is presented. The designed and 3D-printed passive hybrid power combiner-divider resonate at 2.4, 5.8 and 6 GHz. These can form a space-based Wi-Fi 4/5/6/6E/7 networks for simultaneous energy and data exchanges. The I-V and P-V characteristics of the adopted perovskite tandem cell are reported. This results in a high-performing small factor passive 6x6 array capable of producing 12.5 V and generating a maximum power of 1.56 W. The achieved efficiency of the combined system is 98% at 0 dBm input RF power. These advancements improve energy harvesting during the small satellite’s eclipse periods and enable seamless energy sharing and distribution amongst the interconnected satellites. The findings contribute towards advancing passive energy-efficient technologies for sustainable space explorations and LEO-based satellite-cellular convergence ecosystem operations. The use of integrated passive lumped components at low frequency and innovative layout techniques at high frequency (including multiple metal layers and on-chip interconnects) result in an extremely small factor device size for space applications.