Evaluation of parameters influencing the performance of photovoltaic-thermoelectric (PV-TE) hybrid system

Abstract This study analyzes the feasibility of the photovoltaic-thermoelectric (PV-TE) hybrid system and examines the appropriate parameters to optimize the design of the hybrid system. A new formula that sets a minimal working condition from which the output power of the hybrid system will exceed that of the PV cell alone at 298 K was developed. The experimental results showed that the hybrid system outperformed the PV cell alone at 298 K, once the minimal working condition is attained. Moreover, the results illustrated that we can enhance the performance with a slight change in the cold side temperature of the TE using PV cells with a relatively small temperature coefficient and efficiency. The results indicated also that the model can produce trustworthy predictions, consequently, it may be useful during the design of a hybrid system with optimized performance.