Theoretical model of solar thermoelectric generator for heat and power generation

Abstract

Solar energy can be harnessed to produce thermal and electrical energy. With regard to this, Solar Photovoltaic (PV) is a well-known solar technology that is used to convert from solar energy to electrical energy. Nevertheless, Solar PV efficiency drops as the solar PV panel temperature increases. Another way to generate electricity from the solar energy is to use Solar Thermoelectric Generator (STEG). STEG is a hybrid technology between solar thermal collector and Thermoelectric Generator (TEG). A main advantage of STEG is it can produce thermal and electrical energy simultaneously. In this study, a theoretical model was developed to predict the STEG output and performance. An STEG model which consists of an Evacuated Tube Heat Pipe Solar Collector (ETHPSC), four water cooling jackets and four TEGs, was set up in this study. In order to determine whether the theoretical model is accurate enough for the prediction, a comparison was carried out between the theoretical and experimental data. Based on the result, the comparison provides a good correlation between the former and the latter and the highest error obtained is less than 20%.