Simulation-Based Performance Assessment of Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermoelectric Systems

Hybrid photovoltaic-thermoelectric (PV-TE) systems provide an effective approach to enhance solar energy utilization by combining electrical power generation with waste heat recovery. Conventional photovoltaic (PV) modules suffer from efficiency degradation at elevated operating temperatures, especially under high solar irradiance. Integrating thermoelectric generators (TEGs) with PV modules enables partial conversion of excess heat into additional electrical power while reducing PV operating temperature. This study investigates a hybrid PV-TE system employing passive cooling using aluminium fin heat sinks. A coupled thermal-electrical model is developed under steady-state conditions, in which the PV module power is fixed at 70 W and the cold-side temperature of the TEG is maintained at 27 °C, while the hot-side temperature is varied to evaluate the thermoelectric contribution. The results reveal a strong dependence of power improvement on the temperature difference across the TEG. Specifically, the power improvement increases from approximately 0.95% at 50 °C to 1.36% and 1.75% at 60 °C and 70 °C, respectively, and reaches about 2.87% at 100 °C.