A bipolar power converter with bridgeless boost rectifier for thermoelectric Energy Harvesting

DC-DC converters for thermoelectric generator (TEG) are generally designed for a unipolar input voltage. However, polarity inversion of TEG occurs when the temperature difference between the sides of TEG is reversed. This paper proposes a power converter which consists of an AC-DC converter and a microcontroller, which adopts polarity inversion of the input voltage. The proposed converter needs less components than conventional circuits. A bridgeless boost rectifier is used as AC-DC converter and operated with maximum power point tracking (MPPT). The circuit operation has been confirmed by circuit experiment.

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