Abstract
Solar energy has been of main interest with regard to renewable energy sources due to its abundance and immense potential. The conversion of low-grade solar energy into electricity by thermogalvanic cells has the potential to complement energy generation produced from fossil fuels in Sub-Saharan Africa. The main objective of this work is to design a thermogalvanic cell tailored for household applications using solar energy. A temperature profiling of a typical semi-detached building in Kumasi, Ghana was determined. The effect of temperature and H2SO4 background electrolyte on the Seebeck coefficient and power output of Cu/CuSO4 thermogalvanic cells were investigated. The study recorded the highest temperature difference of 70 °C in the attic of the building. The highest Seebeck coefficient (0.985 mV/K) was obtained at 0.7 M CuSO4 + 0.2 M H2SO4 electrolyte. The maximum power output derived from the experimental thermocell was 26.13nW/cm2. The design and simulation of the thermogalvanic cell architecture revealed that the thermocell can deliver a maximum current of 0.257 mA to a 1.2 V rechargeable battery.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 101448 |
Journal | Thermal Science and Engineering Progress |
Volume | 34 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 1 2022 |
Keywords
- CuSO electrolyte
- Cyclic temperature
- Low-grade heat
- Thermogalvanic cell
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes