Experimental and simulation investigations of CPV/TEG hybrid system

Abstract

Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology is a leading approach for increasing the utilization and deployment of PV systems. A major disadvantage is the need for cooling to maintain the performance of the solar cell. Active cooling is power-consuming and complex. A proposed passive cooling subsystem, uses a thermoelectric generator (TEG), besides cooling the solar cell, it generates power from waste heat. Three TEG modules with different sizes and numbers of junctions were tested. The performance of the TEGs was simulated using the finite element method and heat transfer analysis. The simulated model was validated for each TEG against the manufacturer datasheet and demonstrated good agreement between the simulated and measured performances. A CPV/TEG hybrid system was investigated experimentally and compared with the obtained simulation results. The proposed system was proven to deliver a net electrical power higher than obtained using the CPV system only. Compared to only a CPV cell on top of a heat sink, the generated power of the CPV/TEG hybrid system increased by 7.4%, 5.8%, and 3% corresponding to using the 30×30mm2, 40×40mm2 and the 62×62mm2 TEG modules, for which the number of junctions are 31, 127 and 49, respectively.