Building a novel photovoltaic thermoelectric device
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Engineering
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Solar energy is one of the most common renewable energy sources in the world. Many people are using them for personal use in their own homes. Previous research experiments have been conducted to attempt at an increase in efficiency and more recently they have been combined with other devices to convert a higher percentage of solar radiation to energy. In this experiment, a thermoelectric generator was used to try to convert waste heat from solar irradiance into more usable energy. The purpose of this study was to improve the overall efficiency of a standard photovoltaic cell. It was hypothesized that a hybrid photovoltaic-thermoelectric device would produce significantly higher power output than a photovoltaic cell alone. The experiment was conducted with both devices operating simultaneously under identical conditions. Power output was measured in watts through the use of a standard multimeter. The research showed that the hybrid device was about 15% more efficient that the standard photovoltaic. A t test was conducted and the results showed that the hybrid device was significantly better than the control, t(29) > 100, p <.001. It was concluded that combining a thermoelectric device with a photovoltaic is an extremely cost effective method of increasing overall efficiency of a photovoltaic.
Recommended Citation
Sullivan, William, "Building a novel photovoltaic thermoelectric device" (2015). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 156.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2015/all/156
Start Date
4-11-2015 9:45 AM
End Date
4-11-2015 10:00 AM
Building a novel photovoltaic thermoelectric device
Solar energy is one of the most common renewable energy sources in the world. Many people are using them for personal use in their own homes. Previous research experiments have been conducted to attempt at an increase in efficiency and more recently they have been combined with other devices to convert a higher percentage of solar radiation to energy. In this experiment, a thermoelectric generator was used to try to convert waste heat from solar irradiance into more usable energy. The purpose of this study was to improve the overall efficiency of a standard photovoltaic cell. It was hypothesized that a hybrid photovoltaic-thermoelectric device would produce significantly higher power output than a photovoltaic cell alone. The experiment was conducted with both devices operating simultaneously under identical conditions. Power output was measured in watts through the use of a standard multimeter. The research showed that the hybrid device was about 15% more efficient that the standard photovoltaic. A t test was conducted and the results showed that the hybrid device was significantly better than the control, t(29) > 100, p <.001. It was concluded that combining a thermoelectric device with a photovoltaic is an extremely cost effective method of increasing overall efficiency of a photovoltaic.
