IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v81y2015icp150-161.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Computational analysis and performance optimization of a solar thermoelectric generator

Author

Listed:
  • Kossyvakis, D.N.
  • Vossou, C.G.
  • Provatidis, C.G.
  • Hristoforou, E.V.

Abstract

Solar energy has been considered for many years one of the most reliable and predictable renewable energy resources for the production of both electricity and heat. At the moment, renewable energy market is mainly focused on photovoltaics and solar thermal systems. Quite recently, the implementation of thermoelectric generators in solar energy conversion systems, as an alternative method for exploiting the potential of this huge resource, has attracted increasing attention. In this paper, the performance of a thermoelectric-based solar conversion unit is investigated computationally, using ANSYS Workbench v. 14.0 CAE Software. The electrical output of the system under consideration has been evaluated and performance prediction has been conducted under various operating conditions, demonstrating maximum power output of 33.7 W. Moreover, different techniques are discussed in order to enhance power output and optimize system operation according to the incoming solar irradiation levels, which can differ significantly throughout the year.

Suggested Citation

  • Kossyvakis, D.N. & Vossou, C.G. & Provatidis, C.G. & Hristoforou, E.V., 2015. "Computational analysis and performance optimization of a solar thermoelectric generator," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 150-161.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:81:y:2015:i:c:p:150-161
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2015.03.026
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148115002086
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2015.03.026?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Siva Reddy, V. & Kaushik, S.C. & Ranjan, K.R. & Tyagi, S.K., 2013. "State-of-the-art of solar thermal power plants—A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 258-273.
    2. Rowe, D. M., 1981. "A high performance solar powered thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 8(4), pages 269-273, August.
    3. Bahaj, A.S. & James, P.A.B., 2007. "Urban energy generation: The added value of photovoltaics in social housing," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 11(9), pages 2121-2136, December.
    4. Tonui, J.K. & Tripanagnostopoulos, Y., 2007. "Improved PV/T solar collectors with heat extraction by forced or natural air circulation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 623-637.
    5. Tyagi, V.V. & Kaushik, S.C. & Tyagi, S.K., 2012. "Advancement in solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) hybrid collector technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 1383-1398.
    6. Xiao, Jinsheng & Yang, Tianqi & Li, Peng & Zhai, Pengcheng & Zhang, Qingjie, 2012. "Thermal design and management for performance optimization of solar thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 33-38.
    7. McHenry, M.P. & Doepel, D. & Onyango, B.O. & Opara, U.L., 2014. "Small-scale portable photovoltaic-battery-LED systems with submersible LED units to replace kerosene-based artisanal fishing lamps for Sub-Saharan African lakes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 276-284.
    8. Kossyvakis, D.N. & Vossou, C.G. & Provatidis, C.G. & Hristoforou, E.V., 2015. "Computational and experimental analysis of a commercially available Seebeck module," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1-10.
    9. Rowe, D.M., 1999. "Thermoelectrics, an environmentally-friendly source of electrical power," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 1251-1256.
    10. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Wang, Chien-Chang & Hung, Chen-I. & Yang, Chang-Chung & Juang, Rei-Cheng, 2014. "Modeling and simulation for the design of thermal-concentrated solar thermoelectric generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 287-297.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rezania, A. & Sera, D. & Rosendahl, L.A., 2016. "Coupled thermal model of photovoltaic-thermoelectric hybrid panel for sample cities in Europe," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 127-135.
    2. Maduabuchi, Chika C. & Ejenakevwe, Kevwe A. & Mgbemene, Chigbo A., 2021. "Performance optimization and thermodynamic analysis of irreversibility in a contemporary solar thermoelectric generator," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 1189-1206.
    3. Shittu, Samson & Li, Guiqiang & Xuan, Qindong & Zhao, Xudong & Ma, Xiaoli & Cui, Yu, 2020. "Electrical and mechanical analysis of a segmented solar thermoelectric generator under non-uniform heat flux," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    4. Li, Dianhong & Xuan, Yimin & Yin, Ershuai & Li, Qiang, 2018. "Conversion efficiency gain for concentrated triple-junction solar cell system through thermal management," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 960-968.
    5. Rezania, A. & Rosendahl, L.A., 2017. "Feasibility and parametric evaluation of hybrid concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 380-389.
    6. Ding, L.C. & Akbarzadeh, A. & Tan, L., 2018. "A review of power generation with thermoelectric system and its alternative with solar ponds," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 799-812.
    7. Twaha, Ssennoga & Zhu, Jie & Yan, Yuying & Li, Bo, 2016. "A comprehensive review of thermoelectric technology: Materials, applications, modelling and performance improvement," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 698-726.
    8. Alghamdi, Hisham & Maduabuchi, Chika & Okoli, Kingsley & Albaker, Abdullah & Alatawi, Ibrahim & Alghassab, Mohammed & Albalawi, Hind & Alkhedher, Mohammad, 2024. "Performance optimization of nanofluid-cooled photovoltaic-thermoelectric systems: A study on geometry configuration, steady-state and annual transient effects," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    9. Rodrigo, P.M. & Valera, A. & Fernández, E.F. & Almonacid, F.M., 2019. "Performance and economic limits of passively cooled hybrid thermoelectric generator-concentrator photovoltaic modules," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 1150-1162.
    10. Yao, Haichen & Liu, Xianglei & Luo, Qingyang & Xu, Qiao & Tian, Yang & Ren, Tianze & Zheng, Hangbin & Gao, Ke & Dang, Chunzhuo & Xuan, Yimin & Liu, Zhan & Yang, Xiaohu & Ding, Yulong, 2022. "Experimental and numerical investigations of solar charging performances of 3D porous skeleton based latent heat storage devices," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    11. Shen, Zu-Guo & Wu, Shuang-Ying & Xiao, Lan & Chen, Zu-Xiang, 2017. "Proposal and assessment of a solar thermoelectric generation system characterized by Fresnel lens, cavity receiver and heat pipe," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 215-238.
    12. Jian-gang Wang, 2022. "Research and Application of Thermoelectric Energy Conversion Device Based on Heat Dissipation of Coal Pile," Energy and Environment Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(2), pages 1-30, December.
    13. Mahmoudinezhad, S. & Rezania, A. & Cotfas, P.A. & Cotfas, D.T. & Rosendahl, L.A., 2019. "Transient behavior of concentrated solar oxide thermoelectric generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 823-832.
    14. Mahmoudinezhad, S. & Cotfas, P.A. & Cotfas, D.T. & Rosendahl, L.A. & Rezania, A., 2020. "Response of thermoelectric generators to Bi2Te3 and Zn4Sb3 energy harvester materials under variant solar radiation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 2488-2498.
    15. Alghamdi, Hisham & Maduabuchi, Chika & Okoli, Kingsley & Albaker, Abdullah & Makki, Emad & Alghassab, Mohammed & Alobaid, Mohammad & Alkhedher, Mohammad, 2023. "Pioneering sustainable power: Harnessing material innovations in double stage segmented thermoelectric generators for optimal 4E performance," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 352(C).
    16. Meysam Karami Rad & Mahmoud Omid & Ali Rajabipour & Fariba Tajabadi & Lasse Aistrup Rosendahl & Alireza Rezaniakolaei, 2018. "Optimum Thermal Concentration of Solar Thermoelectric Generators (STEG) in Realistic Meteorological Condition," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-16, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kossyvakis, D.N. & Vossou, C.G. & Provatidis, C.G. & Hristoforou, E.V., 2015. "Computational and experimental analysis of a commercially available Seebeck module," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1-10.
    2. Maduabuchi, Chika C. & Ejenakevwe, Kevwe A. & Mgbemene, Chigbo A., 2021. "Performance optimization and thermodynamic analysis of irreversibility in a contemporary solar thermoelectric generator," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 1189-1206.
    3. Amanlou, Yasaman & Hashjin, Teymour Tavakoli & Ghobadian, Barat & Najafi, G. & Mamat, R., 2016. "A comprehensive review of Uniform Solar Illumination at Low Concentration Photovoltaic (LCPV) Systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1430-1441.
    4. Ding, L.C. & Akbarzadeh, A. & Tan, L., 2018. "A review of power generation with thermoelectric system and its alternative with solar ponds," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 799-812.
    5. Cui, Tengfei & Xuan, Yimin & Yin, Ershuai & Li, Qiang & Li, Dianhong, 2017. "Experimental investigation on potential of a concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric system with phase change materials," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 94-102.
    6. Mahmoudinezhad, S. & Rezania, A. & Cotfas, P.A. & Cotfas, D.T. & Rosendahl, L.A., 2019. "Transient behavior of concentrated solar oxide thermoelectric generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 823-832.
    7. Pandey, A.K. & Tyagi, V.V. & Selvaraj, Jeyraj A/L & Rahim, N.A. & Tyagi, S.K., 2016. "Recent advances in solar photovoltaic systems for emerging trends and advanced applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 859-884.
    8. Contento, Gaetano & Lorenzi, Bruno & Rizzo, Antonella & Narducci, Dario, 2020. "Simultaneous materials and layout optimization of non-imaging optically concentrated solar thermoelectric generators," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    9. Zeb, K. & Ali, S.M. & Khan, B. & Mehmood, C.A. & Tareen, N. & Din, W. & Farid, U. & Haider, A., 2017. "A survey on waste heat recovery: Electric power generation and potential prospects within Pakistan," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1142-1155.
    10. Assoa, Ya Brigitte & Sauzedde, François & Boillot, Benjamin, 2018. "Numerical parametric study of the thermal and electrical performance of a BIPV/T hybrid collector for drying applications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 129(PA), pages 121-131.
    11. Sajid, Muhammad & Hassan, Ibrahim & Rahman, Aziz, 2017. "An overview of cooling of thermoelectric devices," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 15-22.
    12. Michael, Jee Joe & S, Iniyan & Goic, Ranko, 2015. "Flat plate solar photovoltaic–thermal (PV/T) systems: A reference guide," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 62-88.
    13. Jo, Hyeonmin & Joo, Younghwan & Kim, Duckjong, 2023. "Thermal design of solar thermoelectric generator with phase change material for timely and efficient power generation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PA).
    14. Jang, Jiin-Yuh & Tsai, Ying-Chi & Wu, Chan-Wei, 2013. "A study of 3-D numerical simulation and comparison with experimental results on turbulent flow of venting flue gas using thermoelectric generator modules and plate fin heat sink," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 270-281.
    15. Madan, Deepa & Wang, Zuoqian & Wright, Paul K. & Evans, James W., 2015. "Printed flexible thermoelectric generators for use on low levels of waste heat," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 587-592.
    16. Zhu, Wei & Deng, Yuan & Gao, Min & Wang, Yao & Cui, Jiaolin & Gao, Hongli, 2015. "Thin-film solar thermoelectric generator with enhanced power output: Integrated optimization design to obtain directional heat flow," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 106-117.
    17. Tingzhen Ming & Qiankun Wang & Keyuan Peng & Zhe Cai & Wei Yang & Yongjia Wu & Tingrui Gong, 2015. "The Influence of Non-Uniform High Heat Flux on Thermal Stress of Thermoelectric Power Generator," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-19, November.
    18. Guo, Jinyi & Lin, Simao & Bilbao, Jose I. & White, Stephen D. & Sproul, Alistair B., 2017. "A review of photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) heat utilisation with low temperature desiccant cooling and dehumidification," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 1-14.
    19. Athienitis, Andreas K. & Barone, Giovanni & Buonomano, Annamaria & Palombo, Adolfo, 2018. "Assessing active and passive effects of façade building integrated photovoltaics/thermal systems: Dynamic modelling and simulation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 355-382.
    20. Shen, Zu-Guo & Wu, Shuang-Ying & Xiao, Lan & Chen, Zu-Xiang, 2017. "Proposal and assessment of a solar thermoelectric generation system characterized by Fresnel lens, cavity receiver and heat pipe," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 215-238.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:81:y:2015:i:c:p:150-161. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.