An Experimental Investigation of a Domestic Type Solar TE Cooler

Abstract

In this study, a domestic refrigerator is operated by a thermoelectric cooler. Thermoelectric modules are fed by the photovoltaic, which are connected directly to thermoelectric modules. Thermoelectric modules were chosen so as to compensate the heat gained by the refrigerator, and solar cells were chosen so as to supply the power demand of the solar cells. Incident solar radiation, outside and inside temperatures, surface temperatures of thermoelectric module, and the voltage produced were measured. Calculations were made using these measurements. According to the results, the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerator was 14.7°C and cooling coefficient of performance of the system was calculated as 0.58.

Keywords:

• cooling
• COP
• solar cell
• solar radiation
• thermoelectric