ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how thermoelectric generators (TEGs) harvesting the heat released by Photovoltaic (PV) cells may impact efficient solar energy conversion. It focuses on terrestrial applications and on inorganic single-junction PV cells. The chapter discusses the state of the art on solar TEG strategies, including all-thermoelectric (TE) solar conversion and thermodynamic cogeneration—moving then to the theory behind photovoltaic-thermoelectric (PV-TE) hybridization. It also discusses the fundamentals of PV physics and technology, and analyzes the available heat released by PV cells, also in view of the dependence of PV efficiency upon the cell temperature. The chapter shows that tandem PV-TE devices may lead to increased power densities when an intermediate layer absorbing the under-the-gap fraction of the solar spectrum is implemented. A PV cell is essentially a semiconductor diode working under illumination, able to absorb and convert electromagnetic radiation into electrical current.
