Approximately 60% of the incident energy is dissipated as heat in conventional concentrator photovoltaic modules. The hybridization with thermoelectric generators (TEGs) aims to recover part of the waste heat and transform it to electricity. Recently, the feasibility of passively cooled designs has been assessed for small sized solar cells (3 mm × 3 mm). It is expected that novel prototypes will be developed according to this concept. However, the existing feasibility studies are based on reference operating conditions, while the behavior of the hybrid modules under changing atmospheric conditions remains unknown. In this article, real atmospheric data of Jaén, Southern Spain, including irradiance, temperature, and spectral data, are used to analyze the behavior of four designs of TEG-concentrator photovoltaic modules: low ZT-low temperature (A), low ZT-high temperature (B), high ZT-low temperature (C), and high ZT-high temperature (D). This behavior is compared with that of a typical concentrator photovoltaic-only module. Results show that, while the global efficiency at reference conditions can be enhanced up to 4.75%, the annual averaged global efficiency can only be increased up to 4.30%. The results of this article will help to understand the impact of the atmospheric conditions on the real behavior of these structures.

This paper presents a 3D simulation model for an optical photovoltaic power converter hybridized with a thermoelectric generator and shows the potential of hybridization for applications at very low temperatures. To carry out the study, the methodology for designing the hybrid converter optimizes the thermoelectric couple height under different air temperature conditions. This design considers two thermoelectric device scenarios: a low ZT (~1) and a high ZT (~2.4). Additionally, a state-of-the-art power converter based on a multijunction vertical structure made up of GaAs is considered. The results of the simulation procedure show maximum relative efficiency improvement factors of 6.16% (temperature matched) and 48.71% (temperature mismatched) compared to a nonhybrid power converter at 200 K of air temperature and high ZT. These results open a promising path for the development of a new generation of highly efficient hybrid converters.