Abstract:
This paper describes an experimental study on a combined assembly of a solar pond and
two-phase thermosyphon toward thermoelectric power generation under actual weather
conditions and proposes its mandatory association with the biomass energy-based
system. Experiments under the studied solar radiation intensity ranging between 26 W/m2
and 976 W/m2 reveal that the maximum steady-state temperature potential during the
actual operation of a solar pond is not sufficient to generate the minimum threshold thermoelectric
voltage for deriving necessary power needed to recharge a 12 V battery. It is
also highlighted that solar radiation heats both the upper and the lower layers nearly
equally; however, the heat is lost at a faster rate from the upper layer than the lower
layer. Consequently, with the passage of time, the temperature of the lower layer rises,
and interestingly, the probability of obtaining maximum voltage during a day is
maximum during the early morning. Under the present set of conditions, the maximum temperature
gain is 26.58 °C, whereas a minimum temperature potential of 45.62 °C is found
necessary to produce the required voltage. The economic analysis of the proposed system
reveals that the electricity generation obtained from the proposed system is better than
diesel power generation. In particular, the system is suitable for locations where access
to conventional grid-based power is difficult. The work opens opportunities and establishes the necessity of developing low-cost thermoelectric materials for further improving the cost of power generation.
