Solid state thermoelectric power generator with passive heating and cooling

Abstract

The use of solar energy to electrical power generation becomes an opportunity for socioeconomic improvement for regions affected by excessive solar radiation, as well as the Brazilian Northeast. This work proposes a new way of harnessing solar energy to generate electricity with a higher percentage of nationalization. A prototipe of a solid state thermoelectric generator is presented. The project considers two different natural sources to produce temperature difference. They are solar concentration for heating and geothermal heat exchanger for cooling. Boundary conditions based on the bibliographic review was produced artifitially. The system performance was analyzed in real time through a computerized acquisition system. The thermal behaviour was registered in a thermographic picture. The project resulted in the electric power generation of approximately 3W delivered to a resistive load of 4 Ω, under a temperature difference of approximately 60 °C. Comparated to a regular photovoltaic cells that produces 3,8W at most, this propose can become an alternative to commertial systems. The novelty of this work is the combination of the thermoelectricity, solar heating and geothermal cooling technologies, necessariously.