ABSTRACT
Photovoltaic-thermoelectric (PV-TE) is a novel hybrid electricity generation system that has the potential to significantly further renewable energy. Reported improvements in solar efficiency of PV-TE systems over PV systems range from 1% to 30% depending on whether the study was experimental or theoretical, and the assumptions used. A PV-TE system’s performance is sensitive to the working environments, such as temperature and light. Besides, the geometric structure plays an important role in thermoelectric conversion. Therefore, it is important to improve the hybrid scheme for a PV-TE system based on these characteristics. This chapter introduces some improved PV-TE hybrid schemes from the three aspects: optical design, heat transfer, and geometric structure. Most optical design improvements focus on splitting the incoming solar spectrum, directing the PV-active wavelengths to the PV cells and the long-wave energy to the TEG. Other schemes 78extract heat from the PV cells and direct it to a bank of TEGs, smaller in area than the PV modules. The TEG efficiency itself can also be improved by optimizing the geometry of the N and P semi-conductors. Moreover, except for the performance in energy conversion, cost-effectiveness is a significant index to evaluate the prospect of a renewable energy solution. Thus, the economic analysis for a PV-TE system is reviewed in this paper. Overall, the main purpose is to serve as a useful reference for future studies of PV-TE hybrid systems.
