Incorporation of thermoelectric effect with solar power into solar panel

Abstract

The adoption of renewable energy has been a global trend in the past few decades as part of the effort to reduce greenhouse gases emission that causes global warming. Researches have shown the efficiency of solar panels drops when its temperature increases . This means the power loss of solar panel is significant when it is hot, especially during hot sunny day. Therefore, this project aims to generate extra energy by utilizing the waste heat accumulated in solar panels through thermoelectric effect to power up low power devices like USB light , fan or charging a smartphone. Thermoelectric effect, or particularly Seebeck effect is a phenomenon which a thermoelectric generator, make use of the temperature difference between both of its surfaces to generate energy . With the incorporation of thermoelectric effect, solar panel’s efficiency can be improved.