System of cooling and improving power output of photovoltaic solar cells

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) solar cells convert directly sunlight into electricity without the presence of any moving parts. This method of energy conversion is free from mechanical vibrations, noises and pollution. Unfortunately, 80% of the solar irradiation absorbed by the PV cell is not effectively converted into electricity. Only a percentage ranging between 14% and 25% is converted into electricity. The residual illumination is dissipated as heat causing losses in the power output of the solar cell. In this work, a cooling system of the PV cell is proposed. This system is based on the integration of a thermoelectric module operating in Peltier mode (thermoelectric cooler TEC) under the back of the cell. In addition, another thermoelectric module that operates in Seebeck mode (thermoelectric generator TEG) is attached to the underside of the Peltier module. In this configuration, the TEC will cool the PV cell by acting as a pump absorbing heat from the solar cell and will transmit it to the TEG which will generate additional power with Seebeck effect. The feasability of this system is simulated under Comsol Multiphysics and SimulinkMatlab. The results of the simulations show that the solar cell loses its power output when operating at hot temperature. The TEC intervenes to maintain the operating temperature at ambient so as the cell produces its maximum power output. The TEG module generates additional power and allows improving the power output of the device, therefore improves the global efficiency of the solar cell.