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A flat radiative cooling thermoelectric generator for high performance power generation

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  • Zhang, Anxun
  • Yuan, Song
  • Du, Yike
  • Dou, Wenhao
  • Cai, Wenshan
  • Zhang, Fan
  • Zhu, Jiliang
  • Ye, Zhicheng

Abstract

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) based on radiative cooling have attracted significant attention in the energy conversion field because they are energy-independent and pollution-free. However, the development of a thin TEG with high and stable output power is still a challenge. Herein, we demonstrate a flat TEG based on radiative cooling, non-radiative heat transfer cooling, and building waste heat. The flat structure of the designed TEG is thin and enables the non-radiative heat transfer to contribute to the cold end of TEG. A porous Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) film, adhered to a copper substrate, is prepared by non-solvent-induced phase separation as the radiative cooling emitter (RCE). The temperature of RCE is 19.9 °C lower than that of the building. To harvest the building waste heat efficiently, a copper plate is designed as the heat collector, which increases the temperature difference between the two ends of TEG to 228 % with respect to one without the heat collector. The uninterrupted output power of the designed TEG matches well with residential electricity and reaches 153.1 mW/m2, which exceeds most previous works. 95 light emitting diodes are lit up successfully by the designed TEG, which shows great potential in off-grid, continuous power-consumed applications.

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  • Zhang, Anxun & Yuan, Song & Du, Yike & Dou, Wenhao & Cai, Wenshan & Zhang, Fan & Zhu, Jiliang & Ye, Zhicheng, 2024. "A flat radiative cooling thermoelectric generator for high performance power generation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:290:y:2024:i:c:s0360544223035326
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2023.130138
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