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Tested solar cell with one TEG in water cooled chamber

A project log for Hybrid Thermoelectric Solar Cell

Novel power harvesting module integrates the energy harvesting abilities of a thermoelectric generator with a solar cell to maximize output

neelNeel 07/16/2018 at 05:320 Comments

So I cadded a housing temperature to insert the TEG-Solar module into. The day is once again reaching well into the 90s from a 60 degree night. I taped one TEG Module onto the solar panel and plunged the heat sink fully into the water.


The max voltage read was close to .1 volts. This is better than before but still not usable for a hybrid system. At least the solar cell is operating well on these sunny days. I suspect that because the TEG does not have good contact with the solar panel, it is not creating a good temperature difference. 

From a qualitative point of view the solar cell felt hotter to touch while the heat sink felt cooler to touch but not as cool as I hoped it would be after a run. I think the water chamber needs to be redesigned to seal out heat from reaching the water in all directions except from the back side of the solar panel. After looking into the yeti water bottles, I am trying to see if I can use some of there techniques to 3d print a better sealed chamber.

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