A flat radiative cooling thermoelectric generator for high performance power generation

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) based on radiative cooling have attracted significant attention in the energy conversion field because they are energy-independent and pollution-free. However, the development of a thin TEG with high and stable output power is still a challenge. Herein, we demonstrate a flat TEG based on radiative cooling, non-radiative heat transfer cooling, and building waste heat. The flat structure of the designed TEG is thin and enables the non-radiative heat transfer to contribute to the cold end of TEG. A porous Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) film, adhered to a copper substrate, is prepared by non-solvent-induced phase separation as the radiative cooling emitter (RCE). The temperature of RCE is 19.9 degrees C lower than that of the building. To harvest the building waste heat efficiently, a copper plate is designed as the heat collector, which increases the temperature difference between the two ends of TEG to 228 % with respect to one without the heat collector. The uninterrupted output power of the designed TEG matches well with residential electricity and reaches 153.1 mW/m2, which exceeds most previous works. 95 light emitting diodes are lit up successfully by the designed TEG, which shows great potential in off-grid, continuous power-consumed applications.