Experimental study of thermoelectric cooling system for a parked car with solar energy

Abstract

Vehicles parked under the direct sun cause an increase in the cabin temperature drastically. The extreme increase in vehicles cabin temperature will increase air conditioning (AC) energy and fuel consumption, can damage interior equipment, and increases the health risk to passengers in the car. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the thermoelectric as a cooling system for a parked car integrated with solar energy. The solar panel on the car roof generates electricity as a cooling system energy source. The cooling system consists of 4 thermoelectric coolers equipped with heatsinks and axial fans on the hot and cold side of thermoelectric. The test was conducted on passenger cars during the day for 4 hours of parking. The result shows that the cabin car temperature decrease by 6,1°C or 13% compared to without cooling, which will increase passenger comfort and reduce energy consumption.