A Study of the Parameters of a Combined Photo-Thermoelectric Installation under Field Conditions

The parameters of a combined photo-thermoelectric installation based on modern solar cells (SCs) made of polycrystalline silicon and thermoelectric batteries (TBs) based on bismuth telluride with improved thermal contacts were experimentally investigated. The heating and cooling of the photovoltaic section of the installation were studied. Analysis of the photographs of infrared radiation obtained during the heating indicates that all surfaces are nonuniform in terms of the temperature. The white spots partially observable in the central parts of photovoltaic batteries (PVBs) suggest a high temperature, i.e., the process of “overheating”. After cooling the cold junction of the thermoelectric battery with water below room temperature, a significant change in the temperature gradient of the PVB and partial restoration of the basic parameters of the PVB were observed. The inhomogeneity of the temperature gradient over the PVB surface is apparently caused by uneven removal of heat from the front surface to the back of the battery. Based on the obtained experimental data, comparative graphs of the parameters of the combined photo-thermoelectric installation with and without a reflector were constructed.