Numerical modeling of a new integrated PV-TE cooling system and support

In this article, an innovative cooling system for photovoltaic panels is presented. This system uses the Seebeck effect to generate electricity. The proposed device differs from existing photothermoelectric systems by means of a compact, efficient and space-saving apparatus. In fact, in the proposed device the thermoelectric generator is integrated in the heat exchange system since the thermoelectric effect takes place inside the heat exchanger and only a small part of the removed heat is used to create the required temperature difference. A preliminary numerical analysis of the thermoelectric behaviour of the proposed device under different geometrical and fluid-dynamic conditions is also presented. For a standard photovoltaic panel of 100 ​× ​125 cm the proposed cooling system allows an increase of almost 15% of the electrical power converted by the cells. Moreover, the exploited Seebeck effect provides an electrical power (ranging from 61.2 to 71.2 ​W in the studied cases) that is respectively 10.9 and 1.33 times the power required for forced ventilation. The maximum system electrical power reachable, using commercial inorganic thermoelectric materials, considering all electrical power gains and losses is next to 300–310 ​W/m2.