Thermally Induced Delamination of PV-TEG: Implication of Leg’s Joule and Thomson Heating

Abstract

The thermal implication of peel stresses and Joule and Thomson heating on the delamination of photovoltaic-thermoelectric generator (PV-TEG) layers is modelled and established numerically. The scope of the study embraces simulation of the hybrid system with and without electric potential difference. Furthermore, the results obtained from the interfacial peel stresses demonstrate that uneven contractions occur in the layers of the hybrid system, resulting in delamination. In addition, the conductor strip/TEG interface has the highest peel stress with a numerical value of 0.13 GPa, while the glass/ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) interface presents a contrasting stress pattern in comparison to the EVA/cell, EVA/back plate and conductor strip/TEG interface. However, the n-type leg of the TEG has a higher thermal stress in comparison to the entire system components resulting from the application of 7 mV electric potential. Finally, this paper demonstrates that thermal stress is extremely deleterious in the TEG in comparison to the PV module. As a result, device failures will commence from the thermoelectric legs, with the n-type leg having a shorter operational life in comparison to the p-type leg.