On harvesting residual thermal energy from photovoltaic module back surface

[Display omitted] In Brazil, photovoltaic (PV) plants have been increasing their importance in the country’s electricity matrix mainly because its annual irradiation can achieve up to 2400 kWh/m2. On the other hand, the high temperature levels along the PV modules impose a negative effect on the ele...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	International journal of electronics and communications Vol. 111; p. 152878
Main Authors:	Pereira, Renata I.S., Camboim, Marcelo M., Villarim, Andrea W.R., Souza, Cleonilson P., Jucá, Sandro C.S., Carvalho, Paulo C.M.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Elsevier GmbH 01-11-2019
Subjects:	Energy harvesting Photovoltaic modules Residual thermal energy Semiconductor thermoelectric generator Residual thermal energy Energy harvesting Photovoltaic modules Semiconductor thermoelectric generator
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Summary:	[Display omitted] In Brazil, photovoltaic (PV) plants have been increasing their importance in the country’s electricity matrix mainly because its annual irradiation can achieve up to 2400 kWh/m2. On the other hand, the high temperature levels along the PV modules impose a negative effect on the electrical efficiency. For instance, in a PV plant in the Brazilian Northeast region, the PV modules temperature can reach 70 °C in a sunny day while the ambient temperature is around 30 °C. This difference can be used to generate heat as a residual thermal energy, but, in general, it is wasted to the surrounding environment. In other context, currently, there is an increasing development of Renewable Energy Monitoring Systems (REMS) for monitoring PV plants. In this paper, we present an experimental study on the potential of harvesting PV-module residual thermal energy using thermoelectric generators (TEGs) for powering low-power wireless sensor for REMS to monitor the whole PV plant itself. From the experimental results, 3.3 V is achieved from stepping up about 220 mV harvested from monthly average temperature difference of 15 °C. In addition, it is shown that 528 mW can be harvested every burst of 30 ms, which is enough to power low-power devices.
ISSN:	1434-8411 1618-0399
DOI:	10.1016/j.aeue.2019.152878