Experimental Analysis of Power Generation for Ultra-Low Power Wireless Sensor Nodes Using Various Coatings on Thermoelectric Energy Harvester

An experimental data analysis to investigate the output performance of thermoelectric generator (TEG) is presented in this paper. Thermally conducting materials, Al, Fe and matte finish metal paint, are tested to study the increase in heat absorbance by TEG. An experimental thermoelectric set-up comprising Peltier cell (TEC1-12706), commercially available, is designed to convert the ambient solar energy from sun into electrical energy suitable for powering micro/small power devices. The analysis of open circuit output DC voltages shows that paint coated Al sheet increases the output voltage considerably. A matte finish paint coated Al sheet mounted on hotter side of TEG is generating a maximum voltage of 0.76 V. An array of three such TEG modules generated a maximum voltage value 2.28 V, sufficient to power up low and ultra low power wireless sensor device and modules. The present set-up provides promising alternative to power low power devices like WSN, hearing aids, wireless temperature sensor etc. instead of using battery thereby enhancing their lifetime.