Ultra-broadband, wide-angle plus-shape slotted metamaterial solar absorber design with absorption forecasting using machine learning.

Energy utilization is increasing day by day and there is a need for highly efficient renewable energy sources. Solar absorbers with high efficiency can be used to meet these growing energy demands by transforming solar energy into thermal energy. Solar absorber design with highly efficient and Ultra-broadband response covering visible, ultraviolet, and near-infrared spectrum is proposed in this paper. The absorption response is observed for three metamaterial designs (plus-shape slotted design, plus-shape design, and square-shape design) and one optimized design is used for solar absorber design based on its high efficiency. The design results are compared with AM 1.5 spectral irradiance response. The electric field response of the plus-shape slotted metamaterial design is also presented which matches well with the absorption results of different solar spectrum regions. The results proved that the attained absorption response showing wide angle of incidence. Machine learning is also used to examine the design data in order to forecast absorption for various substrate thickness, metasurface thickness, and incidence angles. Regression and forecasting simulations based on machine learning are used to try to anticipate absorber behaviour at forthcoming and intermediate wavelengths. Simulation results prove that Machine Learning based methods can lessen the obligatory simulation resources, time and can be used as an effective tool while designing the absorber. The proposed highly efficient, wide-angle, ultra-broadband solar absorber design with its behavior prediction capability using machine learning can be utilized for solar thermal energy harvesting applications.