Theoretical efficiency of hybrid solar thermoelectric-photovoltaic generators
Name
TheoreticalefficiencyofHTEP_rev.pdf
Description
Accepted version
Size
4.2 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
428beb9ad5b59d853daaed3cdde7000d
Author(s)
Lorenzi, Bruno
Chen, Gang
Date Issued
July 2018
Journal
Journal of Applied Physics
Publisher
AIP Publishing
Citation
Lorenzi, Bruno and Gang Chen. "Theoretical efficiency of hybrid solar thermoelectric-photovoltaic generators." Journal of Applied Physics 124, 2 (July 2018): 024501 © 2018 Author(s)
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
This work analyses the potential of hybrid solar thermoelectric photovoltaic generators (HSTEPVGs) through evaluating their efficiency in converting solar power into electricity for a system consisting of a PV cell placed directly on top of a thermoelectric generator. A theoretical model for terrestrial application which includes the possibility of thermal and optical concentrations is reported. As in the case of pure solar thermoelectric generators, an optimal operation temperature also exists for HSTEPVGs determined by the temperature dependences of both the solar cells and the thermoelectric generators. The study reports an efficiency gain of 4%-5% with respect to the sole PV case, especially in the case of optical concentrations which mitigate the solar cell temperature sensitivity. In addition to these interesting results, the work also reveals the major constrains expected for this approach, along with technological challenges especially regarding the optical properties of the device encapsulation and the solar cell degradation.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5022569
