Experimental study and exergy analysis of photovoltaic-thermoelectric with flat plate micro-channel heat pipe

Shittu, Samson; Li, Guiqiang; Zhao, Xudong; Zhou, Jinzhi; Ma, Xiaoli; Akhlaghi, Yousef Golizadeh

Abstract

Effective cooling of the photovoltaic can enhance electrical conversion efficiency of a photovoltaic system. The combination of photovoltaic and thermoelectric generator provides unique advantages because of their complementary characteristics. In addition, hybrid photovoltaic-thermoelectric can utilize a wider solar spectrum thereby harvesting more energy from the sun. Heat pipes are passive devices that can transfer heat efficiently over a long distance. Therefore, this study presents an experimental investigation and exergy analysis of a photovoltaic-thermoelectric with flat plate micro-channel heat pipe. The experiment is performed in a laboratory using a solar simulator and water-cooling is used for the thermoelectric generator. The effect of thermoelectric load resistance, micro-channel heat pipe back insulation and solar radiation on the performance of the hybrid system is presented and a comparison with a photovoltaic only system is provided. Results show that the hybrid system provides an enhanced performance compared to the photovoltaic only system and absence of insulation behind the micro-channel heat pipe enhances electrical performance of the hybrid system. Furthermore, results show the feasibility of the hybrid system for generating electricity and small hot water. This study will provide valuable guidance for design of photovoltaic-thermoelectric systems with heat pipe and verifies the feasibility of such systems.

Citation

Shittu, S., Li, G., Zhao, X., Zhou, J., Ma, X., & Akhlaghi, Y. G. (2020). Experimental study and exergy analysis of photovoltaic-thermoelectric with flat plate micro-channel heat pipe. Energy Conversion and Management, 207, Article 112515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2020.112515

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 17, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jan 27, 2020
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jan 23, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 28, 2021
• Journal: Energy Conversion and Management
• Print ISSN: 0196-8904
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 207
• Article Number: 112515
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2020.112515
• Keywords: Fuel Technology; Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment; Energy Engineering and Power Technology; Nuclear Energy and Engineering
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3381930
• Contract Date: Jan 23, 2020