Power generating device including a photovoltaic converter as well as a thermoelectric converter included in the carrier substrate of the photovoltaic converter

Abstract

The invention relates to an elementary electric-power generating device that includes a photovoltaic converter and a thermoelectric converter, wherein the photovoltaic converter includes a stack of layers bearing on a carrier substrate (3) made of thermally insulating material, the stack of layers including a first conducting layer used as an upper electrode (100) and a second conducting layer used as a lower electrode (200), the upper and lower electrodes having a layer of a photoactive material arranged between them, the thermoelectric converter including a third conducting layer used as a hot junction (200) and a fourth conducting layer used as a cold junction (300), the hot and cold junction having a member (400) made of a thermoelectric electrically-conducting material arranged between them, characterised in that the thermoelectric electrically-conducting member (400) is included in the body of the carrier substrate (3) so that an end of said member is in contact with the hot junction (200) while the other end of said member is in contact with the cold junction (300).

Description

technical field [0001] This invention is in the field of energy recovery and conversion systems. In particular, it relates to a device enabling the coupling of a photovoltaic converter and a thermoelectric converter to generate electrical energy. [0002] Background technique [0003] Photovoltaic (photovoltaic) converters, also known as solar cells, are used to convert light energy into electrical energy. It mainly includes a support base, which is formed of electrical and thermal insulation materials, and stacked layers are deposited on it. The stacked layers include: n / p junction, including two semiconductor layers (one semiconductor layer is an n-type layer, and the other One semiconductor layer is a p-type layer); two conductive layers are located on each side of the n / p junction, and one side of the n / p junction is used to receive light irradiation. [0004] Photovoltaic converters have the problem that their output power decreases considerably with increasing tempe...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0017] Furthermore, in the special case of thin-film photovoltaic converters, this type of coupling does not even work, since the thermal gradient of the photovoltaic converter remains zero

[0018] It should be remembered that the thermal energy generated by light absorption, i.e., 80% of the light energy is not used solely by the photovoltaic Coupled with a thermoelectric converter to achieve the purpose of recovering part of the thermal energy

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