review · International Journal of Green Energy
Integrating solar collectors with thermoelectric generators offers a pathway to increase energy harvesting from solar radiation. Combining standard photovoltaic panels or solar thermal collectors with thermoelectric modules enables the production of both heat and electricity, with additional electrical power captured from otherwise wasted thermal energy. A comprehensive examination reveals the fundamental operating principles of hybrid photovoltaic-thermal designs, along with material variations and factors affecting thermal-to-electrical conversion efficiency. Contemporary research shows that thermoelectric generators can be incorporated into both stationary and concentrating solar thermal setups. Furthermore, experimental work and feasibility evaluations highlight the technical, practical, and operational aspects of tri-generation hybrid configurations. These integrated structures demonstrate improved exploitation of solar radiation compared to standalone systems, establishing a foundation for advanced multi-generation solar energy harvesting.
Conventional solar panels and solar thermal collectors lose substantial amounts of energy as dissipated heat. Combining photovoltaic, thermal, and thermoelectric technologies allows hybrid systems to capture both electricity and useful heat simultaneously with higher overall efficiency. Understanding how to design these integrated systems helps engineers create cleaner, more compact energy installations that maximise power generation from available sunlight.
The findings are relevant to solar equipment manufacturers, industrial heating operators, and renewable power developers seeking higher energy yields per square metre. While thermoelectric devices and photovoltaic panels exist commercially, the tri-generation and combined collector setups reviewed appear to be at the applied research and experimental testing stage, requiring further engineering refinement before reaching wide commercial deployment.
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ABSTRACTIn this review, the most recent revelations in the possibilities of integrating various solar collectors with thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and their main promising results are presented. These combined structures produce the normal (thermal, electrical) energy generated by the solar panel with an additional electrical power resulting from the combination with TEG modules, implying a better exploitation of solar radiation. At the beginning, the basic principles of combined solar thermal and electrical conversion systems, including the photovoltaic (PV) panel combined with the thermal collector (Th) constituting the PV/Th design, are summarized. Second, a detailed discussion on the existence and material varieties of thermoelectric generators, recent industrial applications, and parameters affecting the efficiency of thermal-electric conversion are reported. Then, recent feasibility analyses, experimental applications, types, and performance now of photovoltaic-thermoelectric (PV/TE) are reviewed, while TEG convert heat and thermal energy. Subsequently, considered and discussed is contemporary research on the utilization of thermoelectric generators in various stationary and concentrating solar thermal collectors and processes. An extensive examination of the key technical, practical, and experimental aspects of tri-generation solar hybrid systems integration is also summarized. This paper is therefore a very helpful reference for future research in the discipline of solar (PV, Th, PV/Th)-TE and its applications.KEYWORDS: Hybrid systemPV panelsolar powerthermal collectorthermoelectric generator Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.NomenclatureSWH: Solar water heaterPV: Photovoltaic panelTEC:Thermoelectric coolerTEM: Thermoelectric moduleTEG: Planar thermoelectric generatorTEWH: Thermoelectric water heatingCyTEG: Tubular thermoelectric generatorCSWH_CyTEG_TEG: Concentrated SWH, TEG, and CyTEGLCP: Low concentrate PVLFPV: Linear Fresnel PVGHP: Gravity heat pipePCM: Phase change materialPTEGs,Phybridsystem : Power output of TEG and CSWH_CyTEG_TEG (W)ZT‾ Dimensionless TE figure of meritS: Seebeck coefficientLTEG: Thermoelectric length (m)ηSWH,ηTEGs, ηhybridsystem: SWH, TEGs, and CSWH_CyTEG_TEG efficienciesQth: Thermal outputσ: Constant of Stefan–BoltzmannG: Solar irradiance (W/m2)Tn: Temperature of each component (K)C: Concentrator coefficient
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DOI: 10.1080/15435075.2023.2196340
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