Behavior of a thermoelectric power generation device based on solar irradiation and the earth’s surface-air temperature difference

• A technical solution to the power supply of wireless sensor networks is presented.
• The low voltage produced by TEG is boosted from less than 1 V to more than 4 V.
• An output current and voltage of TEG device is acquired as 21.47 mA and 221 mV.
• The device successfully provides output power 4.7 mW in no electricity conditions.
• The thermo-economic value of TEG device is demonstrated.

Motivated by the limited power supply of wireless sensors used to monitor the natural environment, for example, in forests, this study presents a technical solution by recycling solar irradiation heat using thermoelectric generators. Based on solar irradiation and the earth’s surface-air temperature difference, a new type of thermoelectric power generation device has been devised, the distinguishing features of which include the application of an all-glass heat-tube-type vacuum solar heat collection pipe to absorb and transfer solar energy without a water medium and the use of a thin heat dissipation tube to cool the earth surface air temperature. The effects of key parameters such as solar illumination, air temperature, load resistance, the proportional coefficient, output power and power generation efficiency for thermoelectric energy conversion are analyzed. The results of realistic outdoor experiments show that under a state of regular illumination at 3.75 × 104 lx, using one TEG module, the thermoelectric device is able to boost the voltage obtained from the natural solar irradiation from 221 mV to 4.41 V, with an output power of 4.7 mW. This means that the electrical energy generated can provide the power supply for low power consumption components, such as low power wireless sensors, ZigBee modules and other low power loads.