DOI: 10.56850/jnse.1913127 ISSN: 1304-2025

Experimental Analysis of A Photovoltaic-Thermoelectric Generator (PV-TEG) System: Maximum Temperature Gradient Case Study

Sevgi Altınkök, Atılgan Altınkök
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This study presents an experimental investigation of a photovoltaic-thermoelectric generator (PV-TEG) system under controlled laboratory conditions to establish the upper performance limit under standard irradiance (1000 W/m²). The system was monitored over a 20-minute period, measuring PV surface temperature, TEG hot and cold side temperatures, and electrical output parameters. The results show that the maximum temperature gradient across the TEG module remains limited to 9.6°C, even under optimized conditions. This constraint fundamentally restricts the electrical output, with steady-state maximums of 165.1 mV, 24.1 mA, and 3.98 mW recorded. A strong linear relationship (R² = 0.98) between temperature gradient and output voltage confirms that the TEG operates according to the Seebeck effect. However, the limited T range indicates that the system is thermally constrained rather than conversion-limited. Despite the low electrical output, the TEG provides a measurable thermal management benefit where an average temperature reduction of 3.2°C results in a 1.44% relative improvement in PV efficiency (12.96 mW equivalent gain). This value is approximately 3.3 times greater than the direct electrical output of the TEG, demonstrating that the primary benefit of PV-TEG integration lies in thermal management. Finally, this study provides experimentally validated upper-bound performance data and offers a more realistic framework for evaluating PV-TEG systems.

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