Solar thermoelectric generator performance relative to air speed
Abstract
The electrical characteristics of a solar thermoelectric generator (STEG) are measured. The STEG device is novel in that it requires no external pumps such as a water refrigeration unit to maintain a thermal differential. The heat source is simulated solar radiation heating a double walled evacuated tube. The heat sink is a CPU cooler subjected to simulated wind energy. The peak power performance of the STEG for a fixed heat input and a varying forced convection brought upon by the artificial wind is reported. The STEG's thermoelectric power output under naturally occurring solar and wind energy is also reported. A discussion on the thermoelectric effect presents experimental results showing the effect of varying the circuit's load resistance on a Bi2Te3 module's electromotive force, electrical resistance, and thermal resistivity.
- Publication:
-
Energy Conversion and Management
- Pub Date:
- July 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.enconman.2015.04.049
- Bibcode:
- 2015ECM....99..326M
- Keywords:
-
- Thermoelectric characteristics;
- Solar thermoelectric generator;
- STEG;
- Solar evacuated tube;
- Thermoelectric module;
- Peak power