Utilizing thermoelectric generator as cavity temperature controller for temperature management in dish-Stirling engine

•A novel energy harvester is evaluated in the solar dish-Stirling system.•The thermoelectric generator is used as a temperature controller in the cavity.•The TEG temperature controller protects the Stirling engine from overheating. Harvesting energy from sustainable and accessible resources such as solar energy is one of the most interesting research areas in the last decades. This study proposes a novel application of thermoelectric generator (TEG) energy harvester in a dish-Stirling system to protect the system from thermal overloading and also to improve the overall energy conversion performance. Using the TEG as an energy harvester in the cavity makes it possible to have a larger solar concentration over the system. In the middle of the day, temperature of the cavity increases due to increasing of the intensity of the solar radiation. The cavity temperature controller protects the Stirling engine from increasing its hot-side temperature over the critical temperature defined for the system. Moreover, Control of the cavity temperature by the TEG leads to generate more electrical power by the Stirling engine in the beginning and ending hours of the day. Performance of the system is investigated by a coupled analytical model developed in this study. The results illustrate the proposed dish-Stirling engine generates 14.1 kW at solar noon. Furthermore, the proposed cavity temperature control strategy improves overall performance of the system 20–30% at the beginning and ending hours of a day.