Thermocells for Hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermal Systems

The photovoltaic conversion efficiency of solar cells is highly temperature dependent and decreases with increasing temperature. Therefore, the thermal management of solar cells is crucial for the efficient utilization of solar energy. We fabricate a hybrid photovoltaic/thermocell (PV/T) module by integrating a thermocell directly into the back of a solar panel and explore the feasibility of the module for its practical implementation. The proposed PV/T hybrid not only performs the cooling of the solar cells but also produces an additional power output by converting the heat stored in the solar cell into useful electric energy through the thermocell. Under illumination with an air mass of 1.5 G, the conversion efficiency of the solar cell can improve from 13.2% to 15% by cooling the solar cell from 61 °C to 34 °C and simultaneously obtaining an additional power of 3.53 μW/cm(2) from the thermocell. The advantages of the PV/T module presented in this work, such as the additional power generation from the thermocell as well as the simultaneous cooling of the solar cells and its convenient installation, can lead to the module’s importance in practical and large-scale deployment.