Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8074135 | Energy | 2016 | 11 Pages |
Abstract
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 648Â 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.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Energy
Energy (General)
Authors
Wei Zhu, Yuan Deng, Yao Wang, Shengfei Shen, Raza Gulfam,