Garcia, DárioLiang, DaweiVistas, Cláudia R.Costa, HugoCatela, MiguelTibúrcio, Bruno D.Almeida, Joana2023-03-162023-03-162022-071996-1073PURE: 56060652PURE UUID: 9e065d07-9863-47fb-97f2-35288938f469Scopus: 85136253108WOS: 000832405400001ORCID: /0000-0001-5890-7623/work/131002423http://hdl.handle.net/10362/150710© 2022 by the authors.The efficiency potential of a small-size solar-pumped laser is studied here. The solar laser head was composed of a fused silica aspheric lens and a conical pump cavity, which coupled and redistributed the concentrated solar radiation from the focal zone of a parabolic mirror with an effective collection area of 0.293 m2 to end-side pump a Ce (0.1 at%):Nd (1.1 at%):YAG rod of 2.5 mm diameter and 25 mm length. Optimum solar laser design parameters were found through Zemax© non-sequential ray-tracing and LASCAD™ analysis. The utilization of the Ce:Nd:YAG medium with small diameter pumped by a small-scale solar concentrator was essential to significantly enhance the end-side pump solar laser efficiency and thermal performance. For 249 W incoming solar power at an irradiance of 850 W/m2, 11.2 W multimode solar laser power was measured, corresponding to the record solar-to-laser power conversion efficiency of 4.50%, being, to the best of our knowledge, 1.22 times higher than the previous record. Moreover, the highest solar laser collection efficiency of 38.22 W/m2 and slope efficiency of 6.8% were obtained, which are 1.18 and 1.02 times, respectively, higher than the previous records. The lowest threshold solar power of a Ce:Nd:YAG solar-pumped laser is also reported here.155791624engCe:Nd:YAGlaser efficiencyparabolic mirrorsolar-pumped laserRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentBuilding and ConstructionFuel TechnologyEngineering (miscellaneous)Energy Engineering and Power TechnologyEnergy (miscellaneous)Control and OptimizationElectrical and Electronic EngineeringSDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energyjournal article10.3390/en15145292https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85136253108