Electrical Characteristics of a Hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermoelectric Generator System

The electrical performance evolution of a system combining photovoltaic (PV) and thermoelectric generator (1'E) is evaluated using thermal resistance calculations. The hybrid system combines a commercial monocrystalline silicon PV and a commercial bismuth telluride TE that is integrated with heat sinks. Here, photovoltaic modules could be cooled using thermoelectric components, leading to an increase in its output power. Additionally, extra thermal electricity is generated from the temperature difference between the backside of photovoltaic modules and heat sinks. Compared with the PV, the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of the PV/TE integrated system is increased by 3.9% and the total system efficiency is up to 5.9%.