Solar thermoelectric generator performance relative to air speed

Abstract The electrical characteristics of a solar thermoelectric generator (STEG) are measured. The STEG device is novel in that it requires no external pumps such as a water refrigeration unit to maintain a thermal differential. The heat source is simulated solar radiation heating a double walled evacuated tube. The heat sink is a CPU cooler subjected to simulated wind energy. The peak power performance of the STEG for a fixed heat input and a varying forced convection brought upon by the artificial wind is reported. The STEG’s thermoelectric power output under naturally occurring solar and wind energy is also reported. A discussion on the thermoelectric effect presents experimental results showing the effect of varying the circuit’s load resistance on a Bi 2 Te 3 module’s electromotive force, electrical resistance, and thermal resistivity.

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