Document Type : Research Article
Abstract
This paper proposes a concept utilizing a thermoelectric generator (TEG) device
to convert thermal energy different between ambient air and soil into electrical power. In
this study, soil temperature profile with three various depths has been studied to find the
optimum depth for maximum temperature differences between ambient air and the soil. The
study area coverage is at the lake nearby Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi
Malaysia. After the temperature data collected, the efficiency of TEG with different
configurations was tested in the lab. Then, energy storage devices and buck-booster are
used to further enhance the capabilities of TEG. All the models are then integrated and
tested to power up electronics load according to the temperature profile collected. The
results have proposed the depth of soil 20 cm will provide an optimal average temperature
different of 3.34 0C. Based on the temperature gradient data, combination of four TEG
TEP-12656 in a series connection with DC booster circuitDC1587 will produce an optimum
voltage output about 3 V. This output voltage is enough to fully charges small storage
system such as super capacitors 10 F in 6.58 minutes. Arduino Uno was used as a load and
it was successfully powered up for a short duration of time before energy fully depleted.
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