Review of solar thermoelectric energy conversion and analysis of a two cover flat-plate solar collector

Abstract

The process of solar thermoelectric energy conversion was explored through a review of thermoelectric energy generation and solar collectors. Existing forms of flat plate collectors and solar concentrators were surveyed. A thermal analysis of a common two-cover flat plate solar collector was then performed. The model focused specifically on radiation absorption through the cover system and radiation and convection losses from the absorption plate to determine the parameters that most significantly affect the efficiency of the collector and the overall efficiency of the solar thermoelectric generator. In this case, collector efficiency was measured by the ratio of useable energy to incident solar energy. Overall generator efficiency was measured by power generated per unit area of the collector. It was found that of several parameters, the collector area had the most significant influence on collector efficiency. For the overall efficiency of the generator, the most significant parameter was the ratio of the collector area to the cross-sectional area of the thermoelectric elements (TE). The efficiency of the generator maximized at a ratio of 250:1, with a magnitude of 5.76 W/m2. The analysis exposes some weaknesses of the flat plate collector to show where future designs should focus for improvement.