Optimum coupling of photovoltaic devices and Peltier coolers for improved performance and stability

ABSTRACT Photovoltaics (PV) have admittedly seen substantial advancements during the last decades. Improvements in the performance of conventional technologies as well as the emergence of cost effective alternatives facilitated its establishment as a major contributor towards the adoption of a green power production model. Nevertheless, photovoltaics still suffer from efficiency issues, mainly related to performance dependency upon operating temperature. For perovskite cells, it is also crucial to maintain temperature below a defined threshold to avoid premature degradation. Photovoltaic-thermoelectric hybridization has been recently proposed as a means of restricting excessive temperature increase, reducing recombination and improving the overall efficiency response. In this work, the performance of a hybrid photovoltaic-Peltier system is examined through an analytical modelling approach. Different thermoelectric coolers (TECs) and PV cell types have been studied. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis has been conducted in order to identify the most critical parameters for obtaining optimum coupling between PV and TEC technologies.