Energy Harvesting using Thermoelectric Generator Applied to Food Stand

Abstract

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are solid state device that works similar to solar panels. This study is done to design a system that will harness the thermal energy from the food stand and convert it into electrical energy to charge lithium-ion batteries and power up a 2 watt LED bulb. A microcontroller-based data logger is used to read and store the hot and cold temperature as well as the voltage and current produced by the TEGs in a SD card. The study proves that the installed TEG system does not affects the consumption of kerosene and ice. Furthermore, the study showed that there is a significant difference in the voltage produced when ambient temperature is used as the cold source of the TEGs when compared to the voltage produced when a cold source was used. Using a DC-DC step up boost converter, the produced voltage of the TEGs are step up to 5V which is needed to charge a Lithiumion battery with a capacity of 2200 mAh. Having an average current of 360mA, the charging time is 6 hours for the battery to be fully charge. Charged batteries can power up a 2 watt LED bulb which can last up to 10 hours of usage.