Solar thermoelectric generator performance relative to air speed

•Solar thermoelectric generator characteristics were measured.•Peak power performance was discussed relative to wind speed.•An individual module’s electromotive force was analyzed.•Thermal resistivity and electrical resistance of the module were reported.•The peak power conditions for each tested wind speed are summarized in Fig. 10.

The electrical characteristics of a solar thermoelectric generator (STEG) are measured. The STEG device is novel in that it requires no external pumps such as a water refrigeration unit to maintain a thermal differential. The heat source is simulated solar radiation heating a double walled evacuated tube. The heat sink is a CPU cooler subjected to simulated wind energy. The peak power performance of the STEG for a fixed heat input and a varying forced convection brought upon by the artificial wind is reported. The STEG’s thermoelectric power output under naturally occurring solar and wind energy is also reported. A discussion on the thermoelectric effect presents experimental results showing the effect of varying the circuit’s load resistance on a Bi2Te3Bi2Te3 module’s electromotive force, electrical resistance, and thermal resistivity.