A Review on Optimization of PV-TEG Hybrid Model
Abstract
The integration of photovoltaic (PV) panels and thermoelectric generators (TEGs) in a hybrid energy system is a promising development in renewable energy technology. The hybrid system is based on combining the strengths of both PV and TEG technologies to maximize energy production and efficiency. While PV panels are efficient in converting sunlight into electricity, their performance often suffers due to heat losses, especially at high temperatures. The use of TEGs addresses this challenge through the capture of waste heat produced by the PV panels and its conversion into further electrical energy by the Seebeck effect, thereby increasing the overall energy output. In this review, a systematic literature analysis has been conducted through various case studies, and simulation-based research relevant to PV-TEG hybrid systems. These were assessed based on performance metrics, design configurations, material innovations, and thermal management techniques. The review methodology includes a structured analysis of experimental studies, and numerical simulations. Sources have been selected based on relevance to system performance, material properties, and design innovations. This analysis highlights that PV-TEG hybrid systems can enhance overall energy conversion efficiency by 10–20% in optimized configurations. It is seen that power output improved with bismuth telluride-based modules, enhanced cooling using heat sinks and phase change materials, and better power tracking using intelligent MPPT algorithms. Thus, it is crucial to pay more attention to thermal management, material selection, and system design in order to optimize PV-TEG hybrid systems. Proper thermal management enhances TEG performance, and there are efficiency gains concerning the PV panels under all environments. Advanced heat sink design with high-performance thermal interface materials can significantly enhance both energy conversion efficiency and heat dissipation. It is observed that PV-TEG systems can reduce reliance on conventional energy sources, offering more sustainable and efficient alternatives to power generation. Challenges with material compatibility, cost, and scalability remain major barriers to the practical implementation of these systems, and continued research into finding cost-effective materials and innovative system designs will be necessary. In future studies, the focus should be put on the discovery of new thermoelectric materials and scaling up the techniques involved in system integration. PV-TEG hybrid systems would then be a far better choice for the world's global energy crisis.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
A. Qazi et al., “Towards Sustainable Energy: A Systematic Review of Renewable Energy Sources, Technologies, and Public Opinions,” IEEE Access, vol. 7, pp. 63837–63851, 2019, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2906402.
S. Mekhilef, R. Saidur, and A. Safari, “A review on solar energy use in industries,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 1777–1790, May 2011, doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2010.12.018.
S. P. Aly, S. Ahzi, and N. Barth, “Effect of physical and environmental factors on the performance of a photovoltaic panel,” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol. 200, p. 109948, Sep. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.solmat.2019.109948.
H. Jouhara et al., “Thermoelectric generator (TEG) technologies and applications,” International Journal of Thermofluids, vol. 9, p. 100063, Feb. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.ijft.2021.100063.
S. N. M. Tawil and M. Z. Zainal, “Energy harvesting using TEG and PV cell for low power application,” in Proc. of International Conference on Engineering and Technology (IntCET 2017), Putrajaya, Malaysia, AIP Conf. Proc., 2018, vol 1930, no. 1, p. 020041. doi: 10.1063/1.5022935
A. Z. Sahin, K. G. Ismaila, B. S. Yilbas, and A. Al‐Sharafi, “A review on the performance of photovoltaic/thermoelectric hybrid generators,” Int J Energy Res, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 3365–3394, Apr. 2020, doi: 10.1002/er.5139.
N. Wang, L. Han, H. He, N.-H. Park, and K. Koumoto, “A novel high-performance photovoltaic–thermoelectric hybrid device,” Energy Environ. Sci., vol. 4, no. 9, p. 3676, 2011, doi: 10.1039/c1ee01646f.
Z. Usman, J. Tah, H. Abanda, and C. Nche, “A Critical Appraisal of PV-Systems’ Performance,” Buildings, vol. 10, no. 11, p. 192, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.3390/buildings10110192.
Y. Sheikh, M. Jasim, M. Qasim, A. Qaisieh, M. O. Hamdan, and F. Abed, “Enhancing PV solar panel efficiency through integration with a passive Multi-layered PCMs cooling system: A numerical study,” International Journal of Thermofluids, vol. 23, p. 100748, Aug. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.ijft.2024.100748.
E. E. Van Dyk, A. R. Gxasheka, and E. L. Meyer, “Monitoring current–voltage characteristics and energy output of silicon photovoltaic modules,” Renewable Energy, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 399–411, Mar. 2005, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2004.04.016.
S. Twaha, J. Zhu, Y. Yan, and B. Li, “A comprehensive review of thermoelectric technology: Materials, applications, modelling and performance improvement,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 65, pp. 698–726, Nov. 2016, doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2016.07.034.
O. H. Ando Junior, N. H. Calderon, and S. S. De Souza, “Characterization of a Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) System for Waste Heat Recovery,” Energies, vol. 11, no. 6, p. 1555, Jun. 2018, doi: 10.3390/en11061555.
W. He, R. Guo, S. Liu, K. Zhu, and S. Wang, “Temperature gradient characteristics and effect on optimal thermoelectric performance in exhaust power-generation systems,” Applied Energy, vol. 261, p. 114366, Mar. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.114366.
X. Jia and Q. Guo, “Design study of Bismuth-Telluride-based thermoelectric generators based on thermoelectric and mechanical performance,” Energy, vol. 190, p. 116226, Jan. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2019.116226.
A. Z. Sahin, K. G. Ismaila, B. S. Yilbas, and A. Al‐Sharafi, “A review on the performance of photovoltaic/thermoelectric hybrid generators,” Int J Energy Res, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 3365–3394, Apr. 2020, doi: 10.1002/er.5139.
G. Li, S. Shittu, T. M. O. Diallo, M. Yu, X. Zhao, and J. Ji, “A review of solar photovoltaic-thermoelectric hybrid system for electricity generation,” Energy, vol. 158, pp. 41–58, Sep. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2018.06.021.
U. A. Saleh, M. A. Johar, S. A. B. Jumaat, M. N. Rejab, and W. A. W. Jamaludin, “Evaluation of a PV-TEG Hybrid System Configuration for an Improved Energy Output: A Review,” International Journal of Renewable Energy Development, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 385–400, May 2021, doi: 10.14710/ijred.2021.33917.
R. Moshwan et al., “Advances and challenges in hybrid photovoltaic-thermoelectric systems for renewable energy,” Applied Energy, vol. 380, p. 125032, Feb. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.125032.
D. Sanin-Villa, “Recent Developments in Thermoelectric Generation: A Review,” Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 24, p. 16821, Dec. 2022, doi: 10.3390/su142416821.
Y. Gao, Z. Dai, D. Wu, C. Wang, B. Chen, and X. Zhang, “Transient performance assessment of a hybrid PV-TEG system integrated with PCM under non-uniform radiation conditions: A numerical investigation,” Renewable Energy, vol. 198, pp. 352–366, Oct. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.08.087.
A. Makki, S. Omer, Y. Su, and H. Sabir, “Numerical investigation of heat pipe-based photovoltaic–thermoelectric generator (HP-PV/TEG) hybrid system,” Energy Conversion and Management, vol. 112, pp. 274–287, Mar. 2016, doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2015.12.069.
S. Sripadmanabhan Indira et al., “A review on various configurations of hybrid concentrator photovoltaic and thermoelectric generator system,” Solar Energy, vol. 201, pp. 122–148, May 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2020.02.090.
A. Kumar, S. Bano, B. Govind, A. Bhardwaj, K. Bhatt, and D. K. Misra, “A Review on Fundamentals, Design and Optimization to High ZT of Thermoelectric Materials for Application to Thermoelectric Technology,” J. Electron. Mater., vol. 50, no. 11, pp. 6037–6059, Nov. 2021, doi: 10.1007/s11664-021-09153-7.
M. Gopinath and R. Marimuthu, “PV-TEG output: Comparison with heat sink and graphite sheet as heat dissipators,” Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, vol. 45, p. 102935, May 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.csite.2023.102935.
A. M. Law, L. O. Jones, and J. M. Walls, “The performance and durability of Anti-reflection coatings for solar module cover glass – a review,” Solar Energy, vol. 261, pp. 85–95, Sep. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2023.06.009.
M. Kamran Khan, M. Hamza Zafar, M. Mansoor, A. Feroz Mirza, U. Amir Khan, and N. Mujeeb Khan, “Green energy extraction for sustainable development: A novel MPPT technique for hybrid PV-TEG system,” Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, vol. 53, p. 102388, Oct. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.seta.2022.102388.
K. Teffah and Y. Zhang, “Modeling and experimental research of hybrid PV-thermoelectric system for high concentrated solar energy conversion,” Solar Energy, vol. 157, pp. 10–19, Nov. 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2017.08.017.
A. A. Salbookh, M. W. Aljibory and H. T. Hashim, “Numerical and Experimental Comparison of Passive Cooling Effect on Photovoltaic- Thermoelectric Generator hybrid System,” Performance. Current Research on Engineering, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 63-88. Available: https://www.jocrest.com/dergi/numerical-and-experimental-comparison-of-passive-cooling-effect-on-photovoltaic-thermoelectric-generator-hybrid-system-performance20230624110454.pdf
M. A. I. Khan et al., “An Experimental and Comparative Performance Evaluation of a Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermoelectric System,” Front. Energy Res., vol. 9, p. 722514, Sep. 2021, doi: 10.3389/fenrg.2021.722514.
A. F. Mirza, M. Mansoor, K. Zerbakht, M. Y. Javed, M. H. Zafar, and N. M. Khan, “High-efficiency hybrid PV-TEG system with intelligent control to harvest maximum energy under various non-static operating conditions,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 320, p. 128643, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128643.
A. Wodołażski, N. Howaniec, B. Jura, A. Bąk, and A. Smoliński, “CFD Numerical Modelling of a PV–TEG Hybrid System Cooled by Air Heat Sink Coupled with a Single-Phase Inverter,” Materials, vol. 14, no. 19, p. 5800, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.3390/ma14195800.
Kanagaraj N, “Photovoltaic and Thermoelectric Generator Combined Hybrid Energy System with an Enhanced Maximum Power Point Tracking Technique for Higher Energy Conversion Efficiency,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 6, p. 3144, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.3390/su13063144.
R. Bjørk and K. K. Nielsen, “The performance of a combined solar photovoltaic (PV) and thermoelectric generator (TEG) system,” Solar Energy, vol. 120, pp. 187–194, Oct. 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2015.07.035.
Y. Zhang, N. Zhu, X. Zhao, Z. Luo, P. Hu, and F. Lei, “Energy performance and enviroeconomic analysis of a novel PV-MCHP-TEG system,” Energy, vol. 274, p. 127342, Jul. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2023.127342.
Copyright (c) 2025 Pallavi Roy, Aditya Roy, Bani Kanta Talukdar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Download the AJEEE paper template and submit your paper at the PAPER SUBMISSION page.
ADBU Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (AJEEE) - ISSN: 2582-0257 is an International peer-reviewed Open-Access Online journal in the English language that publishes scientific articles which contribute new novel experimentation and theoretical work in all areas of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and its applications. |
* The views, interpretations and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the author(s) and should not be considered to reflect the opinions of the Editorial Board of this journal- AJEEE.
 | This Journal is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY). |