Parametric Study and Simulation of A Tri-generation System Based on Concentrated PV and Thermoelectric Cooler

In the present study, a novel tri-generation system is proposed. The system produces heat, electric power, and cooling water using concentrated solar cells alongside thermoelectric coolers. The simulation of the system is performed analytically. A zerodimensional model for thermoelectric cooler is applied and the thermal resistance network model is used for a more accurate simulation of the cooling system of the concentrated solar cells. The results indicate that the system can deliver 270 kW electrical power and 2 kg/s of cold water flow in 10℃ and 10 kg/s of hot water flow in 50℃ using 1000× CPV panels with an overall surface area of about 2 m2 which are divided into 1×1 cm pieces. The parametric study conducted on the system for different hours of the day shows that solar radiation has a minimal effect on the output cold water temperature, but it strongly affects the generated power.