Development of a photovoltaic and thermal hybrid solar system

Abstract

Solar energy is the most commonly form of renewable and sustainable energy source used in many applications. It remains as an attractive alternative to electricity generation due to the limited supply of fossil fuels. Moreover, there is a need to create and examine solutions for alternate energy sources from direct solar energy that is harvested from photovoltaic solar cell systems and solar thermal systems. In this project, the solution to solar thermal application is established to increase efficiency for power production. The conversion of heat to electricity through a thermal electric conversion element is vital in this area of study for small-scale distributed energy supply. The use of thermoelectric generator (TEG) is a reliable source of power and requires little maintenance. In this work, the TEG serves as a major component, a thermal collector which is capable of absorbing thermal heat from the solar radiation. This technology of utilizing waste heat is feasible by installing the TEG at the back of the solar panel. In this project, a DC/DC boost converter is developed to further increase the power generated from the output of the thermoelectric generators. A thermoelectric water pumping prototype system is built and demonstrated to obtain a higher efficiency. A charger circuit is also incorporated to the prototype.