Thermal management of solar thermoelectric power generation
S. Baskar, T. Maridurai, R. Arivazhagan, S. SivaChandran, R. Venkatesh
Abstract
Solar energy utilization efficiency of solar thermoelectric generators mainly depends upon the temperature gradient available across the power module. The temperature gradient can be increased through the better performance of the thermal management system. This work reviews the thermal management of solar thermoelectric power generation by material selection for thermoelectric generators, solar absorbers, insulation, and heat exchanger to improve solar energy utilization. The proper maintenance of temperature gradient in the range of 150-300°C across the power module is attainable through the effective heat exchanger designs. Higher conversion efficiency up to 8.5% was observed in the literature due to the practical material selection and temperature gradients.