Performance analysis of a new hybrid system composed of a concentrated photovoltaic cell and a two-stage thermoelectric generator

Abstract A new cogeneration system model that integrates a concentrated photovoltaic cell (CPV) and a two-stage thermoelectric generator (TTEG) considering the Peltier, Seebeck and Thomson effects is proposed, where the CPV converts the inlet solar energy into electricity and heat, and the TTEG further harvests the heat for additional electricity production. Mathematical relation of the operating electric currents between TTEG and CPV is determined. Mathematical formulas for the power output and efficiency of the proposed system are specified under different operation conditions. The maximum power density (MPD) and maximum energy efficiency (MEE) of the proposed hybrid system are about 8% greater than that of the stand-alone CPV, respectively. Furthermore, the impacts of the operating temperature of CPV, solar irradiance, concentration ratio, thermocouple number ratio between top-stage and bottom-stage, total number of thermocouple and different thermoelectric materials on the hybrid system performance are revealed. The results may provide some new insights into designing such an efficient solar-to-electricity hybrid system.