Radiative cooling with thermoelectric generator for power generation

• Main Author: Chiew, Zhen Xiang
• Format: Final Year Project / Dissertation / Thesis
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: T Technology (General); TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
• Online Access: http://eprints.utar.edu.my/6468/1/Project_2201635.pdf; http://eprints.utar.edu.my/6468/

Radiative cooling thermoelectric generator (RC-TEG) is an energy harvesting device that utilizes radiative cooling and thermoelectric technology to convert the temperature difference between the hot and the cold sides of the thermoelectric module into electricity. They offer a sustainable method for power generation, but their widespread adoption is hindered by the challenge of low energy conversion efficiency due to the small and unstable temperature difference across the thermoelectric generator. This study addresses the challenge of low energy conversion efficiency in TEG modules for power generation. The objective of this research is to design a simple prototype of RC-TEG for power generation, analyze its energy conversion efficiency, and compare the performance of TEG modules with and without radiative cooler coating, as well as with different radiative cooler coatings. A comprehensive study on RC-TEG, energy conversion efficiency, and radiative cooler coatings was conducted to achieve these objectives. A prototype was developed and investigated for the impact of radiative cooler coatings on energy conversion efficiency through experimental studies. The experimental findings demonstrated that applying radiative cooler coatings has positively enhances the power generation. Specifically, utilizing both cool weather white paint and silicon dioxide coating, the highest power output of 0.1080 mW (0.051 W/m2) is generated with a radiative cooling module area of 0.0021 m2 as well as with a conversion efficiency of 0.34 % at a figure of merit of 0.71 and a differential temperature of 8.2 K, surpassing other conditions investigated. With that, these results highlighted the potential of RC-TEG to advance in sustainable and reliable power generation technology.