Solar Receiver With Thermoelectric Modules For Waste Heat Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solar energy conversion technologies, such as photovoltaics and traditional concentrated solar power (CSP) systems, are inefficient and costly for residential scale energy production, with high installation costs and parasitic heat loss, limiting their adoption for combined heat and electricity generation.
Innovation Solution
A thermally conductive solar receiver with thermoelectric modules and a low-profile solar tracker system that converts concentrated solar thermal energy into electricity and heat, using silicon carbide and copper components to maximize energy efficiency and reduce installation costs, with thermoelectric modules generating electricity and waste heat used for domestic applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If conventional CSP systems use turbines for electricity generation, then power output is achieved, but system cost and complexity increase significantly at residential scale
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical turbine system with thermoelectric modules that directly convert thermal energy to electricity through the Seebeck effect. This substitution eliminates complex mechanical components, moving parts, and associated maintenance requirements while enabling electricity generation at residential scale.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and utilizes the waste heat from the solar receiver that would otherwise be lost. By integrating thermoelectric modules to capture this rejected heat for electricity generation, the system improves overall efficiency without adding significant complexity.
2Productivity
If solar trackers are installed to maximize solar energy capture, then energy conversion efficiency improves, but installation cost increases by up to 40%
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a low-profile solar tracker that provides partial tracking capability rather than full two-axis tracking. This partial action approach captures sufficient solar energy to improve conversion efficiency while dramatically reducing the complexity and cost of the tracking system.
3Reliability
If thermoelectric modules are used for electricity generation, then system reliability and scalability improve, but energy conversion efficiency remains low at around 10%
Solution Approach 1:
The system recovers waste heat that would otherwise be discarded by the thermoelectric modules. By capturing and utilizing this rejected thermal energy, the overall energy conversion efficiency of the system increases significantly, compensating for the relatively low efficiency of the thermoelectric conversion process itself.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves efficient energy conversion with up to 75% of solar radiation converted into useful energy, reducing installation costs and enabling cost-effective generation of electricity and thermal energy for residential use, including heating and cooling, while minimizing noise and maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
a solar receiver to be attached to a low-profile economic solar tracker wherein the solar receiver includes silicon carbide
Implementation Method 2
two thermoelectric modules (TEMs), wherein each TEM includes a hot side and a cold side, and the hot side of each TEM is attached to the outer surface of the receiver
Implementation Method 3
a pair of copper water blocks, wherein each water block is attached to the cold side of a corresponding TEM and the water blocks include a fluid input and a fluid output and a fluid channel connecting the fluid input and the fluid output
Data Source
AI summary
A solar energy heat to electricity conversion device is provided that includes a thermally conductive solar receiver having a cylinder with an open end and a cup-shape closed end and a thermally conductive fin disposed on an outside surface of the cup-shape closed end, where the thermally conductive solar receiver is capable of absorbing solar energy directed into the cylinder, a thermoelectric module (TEM) that includes a first plate and a second plate, where the first plate is in contact with a surface of the thermally conductive fin, where the conductive fin is capable of transferring heat to the first plate, and a thermally conductive water block in contact with the TEM that is capable of cooling the TEM, where the water block includes a fluid input and a fluid output, where the TEM generates electricity according to a temperature difference between the first plate and the second plate.