High-performance photovoltaic-thermoelectric hybrid power generation system with optimized thermal management

A combination of PV-TE (photovoltaic and thermoelectric) technologies can effectively broaden the use of solar spectrum as well as increase the total power output. One of the keys is to build a large temperature difference across the thermoelectric module with controlled heat flow. In this paper, a thermal concentrated PV-TE hybrid system is fabricated with optimized thermal management. The heat flow and temperature distribution have been theoretically and numerically calculated, providing guidance for the design of PV-TE hybrid system. The introduction of copper plate serving as thermal concentrator and conductor guarantees a large temperature difference in both sides of TE module. Due to the additional electrical generation attributed to thermoelectric generator, the developed PV-TE hybrid system achieves a high peak efficiency of 23% in the outdoor test which is 25% more than that of PV (photovoltaic) cells. Moreover, the thermoelectric generator contributes extra electrical energy of 648 J even during the absence of sun light. Furthermore, a cost and power lumped model has been developed to estimate the economic feasibility for this hybrid technology.