Performance Analysis of Simple Hybrid Micro Electric Generator System Based of Photovoltaic and Thermoelectric Module

Solar energy can be converted into electrical energy using photovoltaic solar cells (solar PV). A significant amount of the solar spectrum is not used in photovoltaic conversion and is dissipated as heat during the operation of the solar cell. An innovative technology to improve the performance of photovoltaic systems is to combine PV cells with thermoelectric modules to further improve power conversion efficiency. The thermoelectric module is able to convert heat energy into electrical energy through the Seebeck effect. A combined photovoltaic-thermoelectric (PV-TE) hybrid configuration could be a potential system that generates more electricity than a PV design alone. The technology that combines PV cells and thermoelectric generator/TEG to increase the generation of electrical power from solar radiation can be done by adding TEG to the back side of the solar panel. The heat energy dissipated by the PV cells can be used by the TEG for additional electric power generation. TEG utilizes heat energy dissipated by PV cells for the hot side, and uses a heat exchanger for the cold side. The occurrence of a temperature difference makes the TEG generate additional electrical energy. The addition of thermoelectrics can increase the electrical energy output by 0.24% of the PV system if the thermoelectrics are connected in series, and 0.94% if the thermoelectrics are connected in parallel. Heatsink-embedded PV results in the highest power increase of 18.6% compared to PV-TE systems.