Potential Impact of ZT=4 Thermoelectric Materials on Solar Thermal Energy Conversion Technologies

State-of-the-art methodologies for the conversion of solar thermal power to electricity are based on conventional electromagnetic induction techniques If appropriate ZT = 4 thermoelectric materials were available, it is likely that conversion efficiencies of 30-40% could be achieved The availability of all solid state electricity generation would be a long awaited development in part because of the elimination of moving parts This paper presents a preliminary examination of the potential performance of ZT = 4 power generators in comparison with Stirling engines taking into account specific mass, volume and cost as well as system reliability High-performance thermoelectrics appear to have distinct advantages over magnetic induction technologies