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A research team led by scientists at Southeast University in China has developed a self-powered photovoltaic-thermoelectric generator system that integrates hotspot detection, local thermal management and wireless monitoring into a thermoelectric generator array, according to pv magazine. The work, described in Applied Thermal Engineering, also involved contributors from the University of Technology Sydney in Australia.
Thermoelectric generators convert heat into electricity through the Seebeck effect, in which a temperature difference between two dissimilar semiconductors produces a voltage. Such devices are commonly used in industry to recover waste heat, but high costs and limited efficiency have constrained wider adoption. In PV-TEG systems, solar panels generate electricity during the day while thermoelectric generators exploit temperature differences to produce additional power.
Corresponding author Jingming Cai told the publication that the central advance lies in moving past the conventional waste-heat harvesting role of thermoelectric generators, showing that their electrical signals can also indicate where thermal anomalies occur within a PV module. By arranging four thermoelectric generators in a compact array, the team built a system that combines hotspot localization, passive thermal management, energy harvesting and wireless monitoring. Cai characterized the approach as turning solar panel waste heat into a source of both energy and diagnostic information.
The researchers first built a three-dimensional multiphysics model of a 500 mm by 500 mm PV region fitted with four rear-mounted thermoelectric generators and an aluminum heat sink. The model coupled heat transfer and thermoelectric conversion under baseline conditions of 1,000 W/m2 irradiance and an ambient temperature of 25 C. A 20 mm by 20 mm heat source was placed at nine positions, and normalized voltage changes were mapped to hotspot coordinates. The team then evaluated localization accuracy at three additional positions, compared cooling performance against a bare PV module, and assessed sensitivity to environmental conditions and thermal contact resistance.
The simulations indicated that distinct hotspot locations produced differentiated four-channel voltage patterns, enabling quantitative mapping from normalized voltage responses to two-dimensional coordinates. Simulated local temperature reduction ranged from 8.15 K to 12.40 K.
The team conducted outdoor tests in Taizhou, eastern China, installing the system on a rooftop array at a telecommunications facility. Thermoelectric generator temperatures, supercapacitor voltage and wireless transmission events were monitored from roughly 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The monitoring electronics activated when capacitor voltage reached 4.0 V and switched off at 2.8 V to permit recharging. Infrared imaging was used to compare local point temperatures and regional averages with a reference PV region. To test localization, black tape was applied at three positions to create controlled thermal disturbances; the voltage responses of the four generators were measured and anomaly coordinates reconstructed. Each position was tested three times, with infrared imaging verifying the location and temperature of each anomaly.
Cai said the accuracy achieved by an array of only four thermoelectric generators was the most surprising result. In the outdoor experiment, localization error was approximately 9.93 mm. The integrated system reduced local PV surface temperature by up to 7.7 C at the measured point, with an average reduction of 5.4 C across the monitored region.
He also noted that the system operated without an external power supply for the monitoring electronics, completing about 45 wireless transmissions during a 10-hour daytime field test. According to Cai, the findings suggest that even relatively small amounts of photovoltaic waste heat can be valuable when converted into sensing capabilities rather than simply additional electricity.
The team plans to investigate how the system performs under electrically induced PV hotspots and more complex outdoor operating conditions. Cai described a long-term vision of solar panels capable of monitoring their own thermal health, identifying potential faults early and reducing the need for energy-intensive monitoring infrastructure.
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