The influence of diverse climate on the 3E analysis of energy, exergy, and environmental aspects of a hybrid module of thermoelectric generator and photovoltaic cells

The increasing demand for energy and the efforts to meet this demand cleanly have drawn experts' attention towards renewable energy sources such as solar energy. In this article, a novel hybrid system consisting of a thermoelectric module for converting the heat from a solar module into electrical energy, coupled with a solar cell, has been utilized to maximize energy utilization. This unique integration of thermoelectric and photovoltaic technologies has been shown to take advantage of the fact that the thermoelectric module reduces the temperature of the solar module, consequently increasing its efficiency. The results of this study have been examined in five different cities and for five different climate types through three energy, exergy, and environmental analyses, which were conducted under two distinct scenarios. The PVSyst software was used to simulate environmental conditions and solar cell performance, while MATLAB was employed to code and connect the solar cell and thermoelectric modules. In the first scenario, by varying the thermoelectric merit constant and the intensity of solar radiation, it has been observed that the placement of the thermoelectric module increases the energy and exergy efficiency by approximately 5% and 4% respectively, and carbon dioxide pollution is reduced by 194 tons on a specific day of the month (July). Moreover, in the second scenario, by examining the hybrid system in the city of Ahvaz and determining the material and quantity of the thermoelectric and solar cell modules, it has been found that the energy and exergy efficiency of the hybrid system (in the maximum state) reach 20.12% and 21.23% respectively, in May. This system in the city reduces carbon dioxide pollution by approximately 41 tons on a specific day of the month (maximum reduction).