Chapter 7 **The Importance of the Assembly in Thermoelectric Generators 123**

Miguel Araiz, Leyre Catalan, Oscar Herrero, Gurutze Perez and Antonio Rodriguez

Chapter 15 **Building-Integrated Thermoelectric Cooling-Photovoltaic**

Chapter 16 **Feasibility and Numerical Analysis of Hybrid Photovoltaic (PV) Panels with Thermoelectric Cooling (TEC) Systems 331** Arturo Monedero Khouri and Miguel Angel Olivares Robles

Chapter 17 **Heat Pipe and Thermosyphon for Thermal Management of**

Thiago Antonini Alves, Larissa Krambeck and Paulo H. Dias dos

Contents **VII**

**(TEC-PV) Devices 313** Himanshu Dehra

**Thermoelectric Cooling 353**

Santos

#### **Section 3 Thermoelectric Generation: Automotive Waste Heat Recovery 145**

	- **Section 4 Thermoelectric Cooling: Principles, Effects, Optimization and Applications 219**

Chapter 15 **Building-Integrated Thermoelectric Cooling-Photovoltaic (TEC-PV) Devices 313** Himanshu Dehra

Chapter 7 **The Importance of the Assembly in Thermoelectric**

**Section 3 Thermoelectric Generation: Automotive Waste Heat**

Chapter 8 **Thermoelectric Power Generation for Heat Recovery in**

Chapter 10 **Prospects and Problems of Increasing the Automotive Thermoelectric Generators Efficiency 185**

Chapter 9 **Automotive Waste Heat Recovery by Thermoelectric Generator**

Duraisamy Sivaprahasam, Subramaniam Harish, Raghavan Gopalan

Alexey Osipkov, Roman Poshekhonov, Konstantin Shishov and

**Section 4 Thermoelectric Cooling: Principles, Effects, Optimization and**

Roberto Palma, Emma Moliner and Josep Forner-Escrig

**Stage Thermoelectric Cooler Systems with Different Leg**

Pablo Eduardo Ruiz-Ortega, Miguel Angel Olivares-Robles and

Chapter 14 **Thermoelectric Cooling: The Thomson Effect in Hybrid Two-**

**Automotive Industries 147** Bo Li, Kuo Huang and Yuying Yan

and Govindhan Sundararajan

Chapter 11 **Thermoelectric Refrigeration Principles 221**

Chapter 13 **Computational Thermoelectricity Applied to**

Miguel Araiz, Leyre Catalan, Oscar Herrero, Gurutze Perez and

**Generators 123**

**VI** Contents

Antonio Rodriguez

**Recovery 145**

**Technology 163**

Pavel Shiriaev

Diana Enescu

Chapter 12 **Thermoelectric Cooling 247** Raghied M. Atta

**Cooling Devices 269**

**Geometric Shapes 289**

Amado F. Garcia Ruiz

**Applications 219**


Preface

native energy sources.

to the safe operation.

The disproportionate use of fossil fuels has turned into a serious environmental issue. Con‐ sequently, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, ozone layer deple‐ tion, and acid rain are frequently heard terms from the media. Also, fossil fuel reserves are limited, and strict environmental regulations are appearing. Thus, we are encountering one of the biggest challenges of the twenty-first century, satisfying the energy demand with re‐ spect to the environment. This fact brings an intense activity directed to obtain a rational use of traditional fuels, reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, and stimulate the research of alter‐

Despite the complexity of the actual energy problem, as scientific, technological, economic, environmental, sociological, and political aspects are involved, new intensive activities fo‐ cused on two directives have been encouraged. The intelligent use of energy, boosting sav‐ ings, avoiding overspending, and developing more efficient equipment; and the development of renewable energy production, an intense activity which has increased a

Thermoelectricity is one of the technologies, which contributes to the reduction in the im‐ pact of the use of fossil fuels, as it contributes to the better use of traditional fuels, improving the efficiency of the processes. Thermoelectricity is an emerging technology, due to its ca‐ pacity to convert heat into electricity or produce cooling or heating effects out of electricity without the necessity of refrigerants. The solid state of thermoelectric devices eliminates the moving parts, chemical reactions, and the presence of refrigerants. Hence, maintenance as well as the harmful emissions to the environment is cancelled. Longer lives are achieved due

Thermoelectric generators harvest heat, especially waste heat, to produce electricity. Waste heat is defined as the by-product heat, which is produced by a process that is not used by but is emitted to the ambient. Today, the amount of waste heat produced is disproportion‐ ate; 40% of the primary energy used in the industrialized countries is emitted to the ambient as waste heat. Most of this heat corresponds to low-grade heat, complicating its reuse. How‐ ever, thermoelectricity is a very promising technology to recover this kind of heat. Likewise, thermoelectric coolers and heaters do not need refrigerants and therefore eliminate green‐ house gas emissions and hence do not contribute to the global warming. Accordingly, the electrical energy generation from waste heat and the cooling or heating without the necessi‐

Unfortunately, the efficiency of thermoelectric generators, coolers, and heaters is still very low, and therefore, great efforts are being made to improve their efficiency. The study of novel thermoelectric materials, the development of computational models, the design of

220% of the global renewable power capacity in the last 10 years.

ty of refrigerants contribute to a more sustainable world.
