Efficiency enhancement of an all-weather self-supplied energy system based on passive radiative cooling and phase change energy storage

Ning Wang, Qingli Zhou, Lei Zhang, Shuxi Xu, Yuan Liu, Hongzhi Jia and Guanxue Wang

Energy, 2025, vol. 325, issue C

Abstract: An all-weather self-supplied energy system with integrated radiative cooling/thermoelectric generators/phase change materials/photovoltaic (RC-TEG-PCM-PV) module is proposed in this paper. A sandwich structure is constructed to integrate the TEG within the gaps of passive RC and effective energy-storing PCM. The latent heat source for the lower PCM layer is supplied by sunlight focused onto the PV layer through folding solar reflectors. Through this setup, the RC-TEG-PCM-PV module establishes a dual mechanism of active heat storage and passive cooling for power generation. By employing the PV-RC system during the day and the PCM-RC system at night, cyclic switching for heat-to-power conversion is achieved. This process enables complementary dual-source energy harvesting for a consistent, all-weather power supply, effectively enhancing energy generation capacity. Results indicate that a maximum temperature difference of 5.4 K was reached across the TEG, with a peak output voltage of 480 mV observed during summer days. Additionally, an output voltage of 240 mV was attained during the nighttime phase transition, marking a 140 % increase compared to the RC-TEG system without PCM. Even in winter, the average output voltage of the proposed system remained above 120 mV during both day and night. A novel perspective for in-situ power generation scenarios is offered by the micro-energy harvesting technology proposed in this paper.

Keywords: Passive RC; PCM; TEG; All-weather self-supply energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:325:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225017050

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.136063

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