Solar micro-energy harvesting based on thermoelectric and latent heat effects. Part I: Theoretical analysis

This article presents a new method of harvesting ambient renewable micro-energy by using both thermoelectric and latent heat effects. We designed a prototype work unit made of phase change material (PCM) and a thermoelectric generator (TEG) and used a numerical method to inspect system performance. Special attention was paid to the implementation of ambient loading (including solar radiation, temperature variation and wind speed) in the numerical simulation process. The calculated results show that the proposed work unit (TEG & PCM) can harvest micro-energy day and night, thanks to the heat storage function of the PCM which is placed behind the TEG.