JP2010258031A - Power generation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power generation system converting optical energy to electrical energy at a high efficiency and a low cost. <P>SOLUTION: The power generation system is equipped with: a solar cell; an aqueduct; and a thermoelectric conversion element. The aqueduct has: a connection end part which is connected to a water pipe for distribution of pressurized water; a first contact part which contacts with the solar cell at the lower stream side than the connection end part; and a second contact part which contacts with the thermoelectric conversion element on the downstream side than the first contact part. The thermoelectric conversion element absorbs heat from the water that flows in the second contact part, through the second contact part, and radiates it to the outside for power generation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power generation system including a solar cell and a thermoelectric conversion element.

Photovoltaic power generation is attracting attention as a low-environmental power generation technology because it has an inexhaustible energy source and does not emit harmful substances or greenhouse gases during power generation.
In addition, power generation systems using solar cells are capable of generating power using a surplus space on the roof of a building or a roof, and are spreading to general houses.

As a solar cell, a solar cell having a semiconductor film mainly made of silicon is widely used because of its low manufacturing cost.
When light enters the solar cell, electrons are excited from the valence band of the semiconductor film to the conduction band, and an electromotive force is generated by generating electron-hole pairs, and the light energy is converted into electrical energy. The Although it is desired that this conversion efficiency be higher, the conventional solar cell has the following problems, and only a part of the light energy can be converted.

Since the voltage output by the conversion of light energy mainly depends on the band gap value of the semiconductor film, only output voltage that depends on the band gap value can be obtained even when high energy light such as ultraviolet light is incident. The remaining light energy is almost converted to heat and cannot be effectively used as electrical energy.
Further, when the temperature of the semiconductor film rises due to this heat, there is a problem that the conversion efficiency is lowered due to the influence of the band gap.
On the other hand, long-wavelength infrared light that is less than the energy of the bandgap cannot be effectively used because it is absorbed by the semiconductor film and is not converted into electrical energy. In addition, the infrared light causes the temperature of the solar cell to increase, thereby reducing the conversion efficiency of the solar cell.

As described above, the energy of light incident on the solar cell is only partly converted into electric energy, and most of it is converted into heat.
On the other hand, a thermoelectric conversion element is provided in contact with the non-light-receiving surface (back surface) opposite to the light-receiving surface of the solar cell, and the solar cell converts light into electrical energy, and the thermal energy generated in the solar cell A technique (hereinafter, referred to as a first technique) that improves energy recovery efficiency by converting into electric energy by a thermoelectric conversion element is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

In addition, a temperature difference between the solar cell and the cooling unit is provided by sandwiching the thermoelectric conversion element between the non-light-receiving surface opposite to the light receiving surface of the solar cell and the cooling unit through which the flowing cooling medium flows. There is also known a technique (hereinafter referred to as a second technique) that generates electric power with a thermoelectric conversion element and collects thermal energy as electric energy (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
Furthermore, by using a heat transport means that circulates the liquid heat medium in the circulation flow path by a pump, the heat of the solar cell is transported to the heat storage section, and a thermoelectric conversion element is provided in contact with the heat storage section, thereby providing heat. A technique for recovering energy as electric energy (hereinafter referred to as third technique) is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

JP-A-7-142750 JP 2003-113771 A JP 2003-70273 A

However, these conventional techniques have the following problems.
In the case of the first technology, by making one surface of the thermoelectric conversion element at a higher temperature than the other surface, the thermal energy that moves from the high temperature side to the low temperature side is converted into electrical energy, Conversion elements tend to have low thermal conductivity. For this reason, when the thermoelectric conversion element is installed on the back surface of the solar cell, the heat generated in the solar cell is trapped inside the battery, and the temperature of the solar cell is likely to rise. As a result, the power generation efficiency of the solar cell is lowered, and the merit of installing the thermoelectric conversion element at a high cost is reduced.

  In the case of the second technique, a cooling unit is provided on the back surface of the solar cell via a thermoelectric conversion element. However, if the thermal conductivity of the thermoelectric conversion element is low, the temperature of the solar cell cannot be lowered sufficiently, There is a problem that the power generation efficiency of the battery decreases. Moreover, if the thermoelectric conversion element is disposed on the entire back surface of the solar cell, the manufacturing cost is increased, and if it is disposed only on a part of the back surface, the thermal energy cannot be effectively used.

  In the case of the third technique, a pump is required to circulate the liquid heat medium in the circulation flow path, and electric energy for driving the pump is required. The electric energy is generated by solar cell power generation. The amount of electrical energy that can be used is diminished.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a problem, and makes it a main objective to provide the electric power generation system which can perform conversion from light energy to electrical energy at high efficiency and low cost.

  Thus, according to the present invention, the solar cell, the water conduit, and the thermoelectric conversion element are provided, and the water conduit is connected to the water supply pipe through which the pressurized water is circulated, and downstream of the connection end. The first contact portion that contacts the solar cell and the second contact portion that contacts the thermoelectric conversion element on the downstream side of the first contact portion, the thermoelectric conversion element receives heat from the water flowing in the second contact portion. A power generation system configured to generate power by absorbing through the second contact portion and radiating heat to the outside is provided.

According to the power generation system of the present invention, since the solar cell can be cooled by water through the first contact portion by flowing water into the water conduit, an excessive temperature increase due to heat generated in the solar cell can be prevented. It can suppress, and the fall of the photoelectric conversion efficiency by a temperature rise can be suppressed.
Moreover, the water which absorbed the heat | fever of the solar cell is transmitted to a thermoelectric conversion element through a water conduit, and heat energy is converted into electrical energy by the thermoelectric conversion element.
Therefore, even if the solar cell receives sunlight and thereby the temperature of the solar cell rises due to heat generated during power generation and heat received from infrared light, it is possible to suppress a decrease in photoelectric conversion efficiency due to the temperature rise. Moreover, since the heat of the solar cell can also be used for power generation by the thermoelectric conversion element, highly efficient power generation using solar energy is possible.

Furthermore, according to this power generation system, the manufacturing cost and the power generation cost can be kept low from the following.
First, the cooling of the solar cell and the transfer of heat from the solar cell to the thermoelectric conversion element are performed using inexpensive pressurized water (for example, tap water, which is sent to the water pipe by an existing pump device without using a special refrigerant. Water such as underground, pond, swamp, lake, sea, etc. that is pumped up as drinking water or industrial water can be used. In particular, in the case of tap water, since many water pipes are laid underground in the human life area, the places where this power generation system can be used are wide.
Secondly, when solar cells are installed on the roof or rooftop of a building, this power generation system uses the pressurized water sent to the water pipe by the existing pump device, up to the solar cells installed at a high position. Since water can be supplied, a new pump device for sending out water is unnecessary. In addition, when using tap water, a pump device for supplying tap water to the higher floors is already installed in high buildings where it is difficult to supply tap water only by the water pressure in the water pipe. What is necessary is just to utilize for this electric power generation system. In addition, for example, even when a power generation high-rise building equipped with this power generation system is newly constructed, tap water is indispensable for human life, and a pump device is inevitably required to supply tap water to the higher floors. Because it is provided, a pump device dedicated to the power generation system is not required.

Thirdly, since the solar cell and the thermoelectric conversion element can be provided at positions separated from each other, the degree of freedom in designing the power generation system is high. Can be of scale.
Fourth, many water pipes are buried underground, and even if the temperature is high, the temperature rise in the ground is relatively small, so the tap water in the water pipes is also kept at a relatively low temperature. In other words, since tap water is kept at a low temperature without being artificially cooled using energy, it is possible to cool solar cells cheaply and efficiently by using tap water, thereby reducing power generation costs. can do.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing Embodiment 1 of a power generation system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a basic structure of a thermoelectric conversion element provided in the thermoelectric conversion module according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the thermoelectric conversion module according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a specific configuration example of the first contact portion in the first embodiment of the power generation system of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a first contact portion of a water conduit in Embodiment 2 of the power generation system of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the first contact portion of the water conduit in Embodiment 3 of the power generation system of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a first contact portion of a water conduit in Embodiment 3 of the power generation system of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first contact portion of FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a power generation building provided with the power generation system of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another power generation building provided with the power generation system of the present invention.

The power generation system of the present invention includes a solar cell, a water conduit, and a thermoelectric conversion element. The water conduit is connected to a water supply pipe through which pressurized water is circulated, and is connected to a solar cell downstream of the connection end. The thermoelectric conversion element has a first contact part that contacts the battery and a second contact part that contacts the thermoelectric conversion element downstream of the first contact part, and the thermoelectric conversion element generates heat from water flowing in the second contact part. It is configured to generate electricity by absorbing through the two contact portions and radiating heat to the outside.
Here, the “solar battery” means one having at least one solar battery cell, and includes a solar battery module having a plurality of solar battery cells.
“Pressurized water” refers to water (tap water such as drinking water and industrial water) that is pressurized from a water purification plant with a pump device and introduced into a water pipe, and underground (including underground water tanks), It means water that is pumped from a pond, swamp, lake, sea, etc. by a pump device and introduced into a predetermined water pipe.

This power generation system is configured to recover light energy (mainly solar energy) received by solar cells as electrical energy with high efficiency. Photovoltaic power generation by solar cells and the heat of solar cells are used as tap water. Electric energy is recovered by both thermoelectric power generation that is collected and transmitted to the thermoelectric conversion element to generate power.
This power generation system may be configured as the following (1) to (9) or may be combined.

(1) The water pipe is a water pipe. That is, tap water supplied from the water pipe is used for the power generation system.
In this way, since the water pipe is widely provided in the human life area, the application place where the power generation system can be installed and used becomes wide. In addition, since many of the water pipes are buried underground as described above, the tap water in the water pipes is kept at a relatively low temperature and can be kept at a low temperature without being artificially cooled with energy. By using the tap water, it is possible to cool the solar cell inexpensively and efficiently, and to reduce the power generation cost.

(2) The water storage tank which stores the water which passed the 2nd contact part of a water guide pipe is further provided.
If it does in this way, the water used for heat transport can be once stored in a water storage tank, and the water in a water storage tank can be used for the original use.
For example, if tap water supplied to a house through a water pipe is used for this power generation system, the water flow for heat transport is smoothed against the use of tap water used intermittently in the house. can do. That is, tap water after being used for heat transport can be used as domestic water from a storage tank without waste while flowing water into the water conduit at a flow rate suitable for power generation.
In other cases, the groundwater pumped up by the pump device is also efficiently used for cooling the solar cells of this power generation system and transporting heat to the thermoelectric conversion elements, and then stored in the water storage tank. Can be used for original purposes (drinking water or industrial water).

(3) In the case of (2), an electric valve disposed in the water conduit to adjust the flow rate of the water flowing in the first contact portion, a water amount sensor for detecting the amount of water stored in the water storage tank, and electricity from the water amount sensor A valve control unit that controls the opening / closing operation of the electric valve based on the signal, and the valve control unit increases the flow rate when the water storage amount is less than a predetermined amount, and decreases the flow rate when the water storage amount exceeds the predetermined amount. Control the motorized valve.
In this way, even when the amount of water used in the reservoir increases and the rate of decrease of the reservoir increases, it is possible to always store a certain amount of water without emptying the reservoir. Therefore, it does not fall into a water shut-off state and does not cause a problem in the original use of water.

(4) The 1st contact part is contacting the back surface on the opposite side to the light-receiving surface of a solar cell.
In this way, the solar cell can be efficiently cooled. In particular, when the solar cell is a multi-junction type with a laminated structure, the band gap is narrower at a position near the back surface, and there is a layer that is more susceptible to power generation efficiency decrease due to temperature rise, so this configuration that cools from the back surface is It is effective in suppressing the decrease in power generation efficiency.
In this case, the first contact portion is a tube constituting a part of the water conduit, and the material thereof is preferably a material that is easy to transmit heat from the solar cell, has high strength, and is excellent in weather resistance. For example, stainless steel Metal such as aluminum alloy is preferable.
Although the shape of a 1st contact part is not specifically limited, In order to cool a solar cell efficiently, the shape with a large contact area with a solar cell back surface is preferable. Examples of such a shape include a stripe shape in which a plurality of flow paths are arranged in parallel, a meandering shape with one or more flow paths, and a flat plate shape having an area in contact with substantially the entire back surface of the solar cell.

In the case of the stripe-shaped and serpentine-shaped first contact portions, the flow paths are arranged at equal intervals over the entire area of the back surface of the solar cell, and the flow paths are in close contact with the back surface of the solar cell to increase the contact area. It is preferable to flatten the contact surface of the forming pipe. In this case, a frame portion that holds the pipe in a predetermined shape may be provided as a constituent member of the first contact portion.
In the case of the flat first contact portion, a rib may be provided at an appropriate location inside so that a large internal space is not crushed. In this case, a stripe-shaped or serpentine-shaped channel may be formed in the internal space by the rib.
In addition, the 1st contact part of these shapes has the supply port to which water is supplied, and the discharge port which sends out the water which distribute | circulated the inside to the 2nd contact part side.

The first contact portion directly or indirectly contacts the back surface of the solar cell. However, in the case of the stripe shape or the meandering shape, the heat transfer plate (for example, thermal conductivity and weather resistance) is used to increase the contact area. It is preferable that the first contact portion is brought into contact with the back surface of the solar cell indirectly through a metal plate such as stainless steel or aluminum alloy having good properties.
As a method of attaching the first contact portion in contact with the back surface of the solar cell, for example, a frame portion having the same shape and size as the frame attached to the outer peripheral edge of the solar cell (the same as the frame portion is preferable) ) As a constituent member of the first contact portion, and the frame portion of the first contact portion and the frame of the solar cell are integrated by bolts and nuts. Alternatively, the frame of the solar cell may be omitted, and the frame portion of the first contact portion may be configured to directly hold the outer peripheral edge of the solar cell.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the frame portion of the first contact portion is configured to be fixed to a support member when the solar cell is installed at the installation location, or the support member is integrated with the frame portion itself.

(5) The 1st contact part is formed with a translucent material, and is contacting the light-receiving surface of a solar cell.
If it does in this way, in the 1st contact part, the lower water will absorb the heat from a solar cell, will go up, and the upper water with a low temperature will go down in connection with it, so that the convection of water will arise and heat will go from a solar cell. Is efficiently transmitted to the entire water in the first contact portion. Therefore, heat transport to the thermoelectric conversion element is also performed smoothly, and a high cooling effect on the solar cell can be obtained.
As the translucent material, a translucent material excellent in strength, weather resistance, transparency and non-transparency to liquid, vapor, gas, etc. is preferable. For example, polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene ( PP) and other transparent resins, and composite glass in which these transparent resin films are laminated on the surface. Furthermore, acrylic resin and quartz glass, which have a high transmittance with respect to light having a wavelength mainly used in photovoltaic power generation by a solar cell, are particularly preferable.

Also in this case, the shape of the first contact portion is not particularly limited, but a shape having a large contact area with the back surface of the solar cell is preferable in order to efficiently cool the solar cell. Furthermore, even if the first contact portion is formed of a light-transmitting material, a shadow may be partially generated depending on the angle of light. Therefore, a shape in which the shadow is difficult to be reflected on the light receiving surface of the solar cell is desirable. Examples of such a shape include a flat shape having an area covering the entire light receiving surface of the solar cell, and it is desirable that the flat first contact portion is in direct contact with the light receiving surface of the solar cell.
In the case of the flat first contact portion, a rib made of the same translucent material may be provided at an appropriate location inside so that a large internal space is not crushed. In this case, it is desirable to consider the rib shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. so that the shadow of the rib is not generated as much as possible.
As a method of attaching the flat first contact portion in contact with the light receiving surface of the solar cell, a frame portion having the same shape and size as the frame attached to the outer peripheral edge of the solar cell is the same as described above. There is a method in which the first contact portion frame unit and the solar cell frame are integrated by bolts and nuts.

(6) The heat radiator which further contacts the heat radiating surface of the thermoelectric conversion element is further provided, and the heat radiator has a heat radiating plate portion for radiating heat to at least one of the atmosphere, the ground, and the ground.
If it does in this way, since the heat dissipation of a thermoelectric conversion element improves, thermoelectric power generation efficiency by a thermoelectric conversion element can be raised.
Particularly in the shade, since the temperature of the underground is relatively difficult to rise even during the summer, and the heat capacity is extremely large, good heat generation efficiency can be obtained by radiating heat from the radiator to the ground.
The shape of the heat radiating plate portion is not particularly limited, but a shape having a large surface area is preferable so that the heat radiation efficiency is enhanced.

(7) The second contact portion has a flat surface that is in close contact with the endothermic surface of the thermoelectric conversion element.
In this way, the contact area between the second contact portion of the water conduit and the heat absorption surface of the thermoelectric conversion element increases, so the heat of water heated by the solar cell is efficiently transferred to the heat absorption surface of the thermoelectric conversion element. can do.

(8) In the case of (7), two or more thermoelectric conversion elements are provided, and the second contact portion is formed in a flat shape having a pair of flat surfaces facing each other. The endothermic surfaces of the thermoelectric conversion elements are in close contact with each other.
If it does in this way, since it will be in the state where the flat 2nd contact part was inserted between a pair of thermoelectric conversion elements, the heat recovery rate from the water warmed by the solar cell increased, and total power generation by the thermoelectric conversion elements The amount can be increased. Moreover, since the thermoelectric conversion element can be installed on the flat surface of the water conduit, the structure of the thermoelectric conversion element can be made flat and easy to produce with excellent durability.
A thermoelectric conversion module that obtains a high voltage by electrically connecting a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements in series may be used. The second contact portion is formed in an elongated flat shape, and the pair of thermoelectric conversion modules is connected to the second contact portion. May be brought into contact with the opposing elongated flat surfaces.

(9) The power generation system further includes a power conditioner electrically connected to the solar cell and the thermoelectric conversion element via wiring.
In this way, since the power conditioner can be connected to an external commercial power line, when this power generation system is installed in a building, if the power used in the building is insufficient, it will be compensated from the outside, When there is a surplus of power generated by the battery and thermoelectric conversion element, the surplus can be sold to a power company. In this case, the power generation system may further include a storage battery that stores surplus power.

Moreover, according to another viewpoint of this invention, it is provided with the building which has a roof or a roof, and the said power generation system, In a power generation system, while a solar cell is installed in the said inclined shape on the roof or a roof, a water conduit The first contact portion is provided with a power generation structure configured such that the supplied water flows from bottom to top.
According to this power generation building, since the power generation system that can efficiently generate electric energy from solar energy is provided, the power consumed in the building can be covered, and the power supplied from the outside The electricity bill can be reduced.
In general, buildings used by humans are equipped with water pipes, and since tap water is supplied at low cost and relatively low temperature even in summer, this tap water should be introduced into the water conduit and used. Is convenient.

In addition, since the solar cell in the power generation system is installed on the roof or the roof of a building, the space can be effectively used. On the other hand, since the thermoelectric conversion element can also be installed in an extra space such as under the floor of a house where the temperature is relatively low even in summer, heat radiation from the heat radiation surface is facilitated while using the space effectively, which is advantageous. .
Further, since the first contact portion of the water conduit is configured so that the supplied water flows from the bottom to the top, the first contact portion can always be filled with water. The solar cell cooling action can be maximized and maintained.
Further, the water in the first contact portion that has received heat from the solar cell is smoothly sent upward because the temperature rises and the specific gravity is reduced, and is sent to the thermoelectric conversion element on the downstream side thereof. For this reason, efficient solar cell cooling and heat transport are performed.

Here, the “building” is not particularly limited as long as it is a building having a roof or a roof as described above. For example, ordinary houses, apartment houses, restaurants, public baths, hospitals, schools, Examples include government buildings, commercial buildings, office buildings, complex buildings, accommodation facilities, leisure facilities, sports facilities, stadiums, stations, airports, ports, warehouses, factories, research institutes, and observation stations.
This power generation system can also be used for large-scale solar power generation in which solar cells are installed on the ground. In this case, the water pipe is in the ground between the water supply place (for example, the nearest water pipe) and the power generation place and the place where the water is finally used (for example, a nearby factory or house). Need to be laid.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing Embodiment 1 of a power generation system according to the present invention.
This power generation system includes a solar cell 110, a thermoelectric conversion module 120A having a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements, and a water conduit 130 as a heat transport mechanism for transferring heat from the solar cell 110 to the thermoelectric conversion module 120A.

<Solar cell>
The solar cell 110 is a solar cell module in which a plurality of solar cells formed on a rectangular substrate are electrically connected in series.
As solar cells, single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, microcrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, compounds such as gallium arsenide and copper indium selenium, or those using organic compounds are known, and these can be used. . Moreover, you may use the photovoltaic cell with high conversion efficiency which laminated | stacked these.
When the solar cell 110 is installed on the roof of a general house, it is preferable to have high conversion efficiency in order to effectively use a limited space, and it is preferable that the solar cell 110 can be introduced at a relatively low cost. Examples of the battery cell include a polycrystalline silicon type, a stacked type of polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon, and the like.

Furthermore, in the case of a multi-junction solar cell called a tandem type, triple type, or the like in which a plurality of semiconductor films are joined, a particularly high photovoltaic power generation efficiency is obtained.
In such a multi-junction solar cell, a layer having a wide band gap such as amorphous silicon is used for the upper layer, and a layer having a narrow band gap such as crystalline silicon is used for the lower layer. With such a laminated structure, light with a short wavelength and high energy out of light incident from above is absorbed by the upper layer with a wide band gap and converted to high output voltage power, and light with a long wavelength that is not absorbed by the upper layer. Is absorbed in the lower band gap and converted into electric power, so that highly efficient power generation is possible.
Note that a heat transfer plate 102 made of stainless steel is provided on the back surface of the solar cell 110.

<Thermoelectric conversion element>
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a basic structure of the thermoelectric conversion element 120 provided in the thermoelectric conversion module 120A according to the first embodiment.
The thermoelectric conversion element 120 is an element that can extract electric energy from a temperature difference using a so-called Seebeck effect.
The thermoelectric conversion element 120 includes a p-type semiconductor 121, an n-type semiconductor 122, a conductive film 123 that electrically connects one surface of the p-type semiconductor 121 and one surface of the n-type semiconductor 122, and the other surface of the p-type semiconductor 121. A positive electrode 124 electrically connected to the n-type semiconductor 122, a negative electrode 125 electrically connected to the other surface of the n-type semiconductor 122, a heat absorbing plate 126 bonded to the conductive film 123, a positive electrode 124, and a negative electrode 125 The outer surface of the heat-absorbing plate 126 becomes the heat-absorbing surface 126a, and the outer surface of the heat-dissipating plate 127 becomes the heat-dissipating surface 127a.
The endothermic plate 126 is obtained by laminating an insulating film (for example, a ceramic made of aluminum nitride) on one surface of a metal plate (for example, a copper plate or an aluminum alloy plate) with good thermal conductivity. It is joined.
The heat radiating plate 127 is also configured similarly to the heat absorbing plate 126.

  In the thermoelectric conversion element 120, when the heat absorption surface 126a is set to a temperature higher than the heat dissipation surface 127a, the carrier distribution of each of the p-type semiconductor 121 and the n-type semiconductor 122 changes, and the majority carriers are moved to the low temperature side (heat dissipation plate material 127 side). Moving. As a result, the electrode on the p-type semiconductor 121 side (positive electrode 124) has a positive potential, the electrode on the n-type semiconductor 122 side (negative electrode 125) has a negative potential, and there is a potential difference between the positive and negative electrodes 124 and 125. Which can be taken out as power. That is, a part of the heat energy can be converted into electric energy.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the thermoelectric conversion module 120 </ b> A used in the first embodiment includes a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements 120 each including a pair of a p-type semiconductor 121 and an n-type semiconductor 122 between the heat-absorbing plate material 126 and the heat-dissipating plate material 127. In this configuration, the output voltage between the positive and negative electrodes 124 and 125 at both ends can be increased. In FIG. 3, the same elements as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Moreover, the positive electrode 124 and the negative electrode 125 are electrically connected to a wiring (not shown) from which electric power generated by the thermoelectric conversion module 120A is taken out.

As a material that can be used as the p-type and n-type semiconductors 121 and 122 of the thermoelectric conversion element 120, those having high thermoelectric conversion efficiency are preferable, for example, bismuth-tellurium compound, lead-tellurium compound, zinc-antimony compound, sodium-cobalt. An oxide, manganese silicide, magnesium silicide, etc. are mentioned.
In addition, the circumference | surroundings of each semiconductor 121,122 in the thermoelectric conversion module 120A are sealed with insulating resin, for example.

This power generation system further includes a radiator 128 that contacts the heat radiating surface of the heat radiating plate 127 of the thermoelectric conversion module 120A (see FIG. 1). In the first embodiment, the radiator 128 is made of a metal plate bent in an L shape (for example, made of stainless steel, copper, or the like), and the flat portion on one side sandwiching the bent portion is connected to the radiator plate 127, for example, a bolt / nut connection. The other flat portion sandwiching the bent portion is a heat radiating plate portion 128a.
The heat radiating plate portion 128a is formed in a shape corresponding to the selected heat radiation mode so as to radiate heat to at least one of the atmosphere, the ground, and the ground. In Embodiment 1, the case where it is comprised so that the thermal radiation board part 128a may be made to contact the ground and it may radiate | emit heat to the ground and air | atmosphere is illustrated. The heat radiating plate portion 128a has a plurality of heat radiating fins for increasing the heat radiation efficiency to the atmosphere, a plate-like or comb-like insertion piece for radiating heat by being inserted into the ground, or both of them. It may be provided.

<Heat transport mechanism>
As shown in FIG. 1, the heat transport mechanism includes a first contact 131 that contacts the solar cell 110, a second contact portion 132 that contacts the thermoelectric conversion module 120 </ b> A, a first contact portion 131, and a second contact portion 132. A connecting pipe part 133 that connects the pipes, an upstream connection end part 134 connected to a water pipe (for example, a water pipe), and a water conduit 130 having a downstream connection end part 131C connected to the connection pipe part 133. .
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a specific configuration example of the first contact portion in the first embodiment of the power generation system of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the first contact portion 131 includes a frame portion 131A that supports the solar cell 110 via the heat transfer plate 102, and a pipe portion 131B that is integrated with the frame portion 131A. And is formed entirely of stainless steel.
The frame portion 131A includes a frame main body 131Aa formed by welding four metal strips into a quadrangle slightly larger than the solar cell 110, and a receiving piece 131Ab formed along the inner peripheral surface of the frame main body 131Aa. .
Further, both ends of a plurality of cooling pipes 131Ba, which will be described later, are attached to a pair of metal strips facing each other, and a communication port 13a communicating with the internal flow path of the cooling pipe 131Ba is formed at the attachment position. ing. Further, the receiving piece 131Ab is not provided at the mounting position.

The pipe portion 131B includes a plurality of (four in the first embodiment) cooling pipes 131Ba arranged in a stripe shape within the frame of the frame main body 131Aa, and a metal strip of the frame main body 131Aa on one end side of the cooling pipe 131Ba. It has an upstream pipe 131Bb integrated on the outer surface and a downstream pipe 131Bc integrated along the outer surface of the metal strip of the frame main body 131Aa on the other end side of the cooling pipe 131Ba.
The cooling pipe 131Ba is formed in a rectangular flat shape, and both ends thereof are welded around the communication port 13a of the metal strip of the frame main body 131Aa as described above. The number, width, arrangement, etc. of the cooling pipes 131Bb are not particularly limited, but it is desirable to design so that the entire solar cell 110 can be cooled as uniformly and efficiently as possible.
Each cooling pipe 131Ba has an upper surface arranged on the same plane as the upper surface of the receiving piece 131Ab.

The upstream pipe 131Bb is an elongated box-like body having an opening toward the communication port 13a, and the opening edge of the box-like body is welded to the metal strip. In addition, a flow hole is formed on one surface (for example, the central portion of the front surface) of the upstream pipe 131Bb, and the upstream connection end portion 134 is welded around the flow hole.
In the first embodiment, the case where the upstream connection end portion 134 of the water conduit 130 connected to the water supply pipe is directly connected to the first contact portion 131 is illustrated, but the upstream connection end portion 134 is guided. Since it is a part connected with the water pipe of the water pipe 130, when a long pipe part is provided between the 1st contact part 131 and the water pipe, the connection part with the water pipe of the pipe part is an upstream connection end. Part 134.
The downstream pipe 131Bc is also formed of an elongated box-like body similar to the upstream pipe 131Bb, and the opening edge of the box-like body is welded to the metal strip. In addition, a flow hole is formed on one surface (for example, the central portion of the rear surface) of the downstream pipe 131Bc, and a downstream connection end 131C is welded around the flow hole.

  The flat heat transfer plate 102 is installed on the receiving piece 131Ab and the plurality of cooling pipes 131Ba of the first contact portion 131 configured as described above, and the solar cell 110 is installed on the heat transfer plate 102. At this time, since the upper surface of each cooling pipe 131Ba and the upper surface of the receiving piece 131Ab are arranged in the same plane, the lower surface of the heat transfer plate 102 contacts the upper surface of each cooling pipe 131Ba without warping. Moreover, the lower surface of the solar cell 110 contacts the upper surface of the heat transfer plate 102 without warping.

Since the receiving piece 131Ab and the plurality of cooling pipes 131Ba are lowered from the upper end edge of the frame body 131Aa, a recess serving as a space for housing the heat transfer plate 102 and the solar cell 110 is formed. The depth of the recess is not particularly limited. If the depth of the upper surface of the solar cell 110 and the upper end surface of the frame main body 131Aa is substantially the same height, the first contact portion 131 and the solar cell 110 The appearance looks better because of the integrated appearance.
Further, a frame may be attached to the outer peripheral edge of the solar cell 110 via a cushion material, and a recess may be formed in a size that can accommodate the solar cell 110 to which the frame is attached. Alternatively, the frame of the solar battery 110 may be substituted with the frame body 131Aa. In this case, a cushion material may be provided between the outer peripheral edge of the solar cell 110 and the frame main body 131Aa.

In addition, since the solar cell 110 has an electrical wiring for taking out the generated electricity on the back side, a hole for routing the electrical wiring to the outside is formed in the heat transfer plate 102. The electrical wiring passed through the hole is extended between the two cooling pipes 131Bb.
Needless to say, in the first contact portion 131, the pipes through which water passes and the welding between the pipe and the frame main body are performed so as not to leak water.

The second contact portion 132 is a flat stainless steel pipe having a pair of flat surfaces facing the outer surface, and the heat absorption surface of the heat absorption plate 126 (see FIG. 3) of the pair of thermoelectric conversion modules 120A on the pair of flat surfaces. Are in contact.
The thermoelectric conversion module 120A is attached to the second contact portion 132 by, for example, providing a projecting piece with a hole in both the second contact portion 132 and the heat absorbing plate 126, and superimposing the two projecting pieces for bolt / nut connection. Can be performed.
In addition, a circular pipe portion may be provided at the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion of the second contact portion 132 so as to be easily connected to the connection pipe portion 133 and other piping.

The connecting pipe portion 133 is a pipe that connects the downstream connection end portion 131 </ b> C of the first contact portion 131 and the upstream end portion of the second contact portion 132.
As the connecting pipe part 133, it is preferable to use a resin pipe having a thermal conductivity lower than that of a metal. For example, a hard polyvinyl chloride pipe usually used in a house can be used.

<Operation of power generation system>
When using this power generation system, as shown in FIG. 1, the first contact portion 131 where the solar cell 110 is installed via the heat transfer plate 102 is installed in a place where the solar cell 110 can receive light, An upstream connection end portion 134 provided in the first contact portion 131 is connected to a water supply pipe (not shown), and a downstream end portion of the second contact portion 132 is connected to another pipe (not shown). In addition, another piping is piping for guide | inducing to the original utilization place of water.

In the power generation system set in this way, water is introduced into the water conduit 130 in the direction of the arrow, and when sunlight is incident on the solar cell 110, the solar cell 110 generates power and generates heat. . Since this heat is transmitted to the water via the heat transfer plate 102 and the cooling pipes 131Ba of the first contact portion 131, the solar cell 110 is cooled and a decrease in photovoltaic power generation efficiency due to an excessive temperature rise is suppressed.
In addition, since the water in the first contact portion 131 is heated by the heat received from the solar cell 110 and then sent to the second contact portion 132 through the connecting pipe portion 133, the heat of the heated water is thermoelectric. It is transmitted to the heat absorbing plate 126 (see FIG. 3) of the conversion module 120A.
In the thermoelectric conversion module 120A, since a temperature difference is generated between the heat absorbing plate material 126 that has received heat and the heat radiating plate material 127 that is in contact with the ground via the radiator 128, power generation is started.

  According to this power generation system, by using pressurized water as a heat transport medium and introducing the pressurized water directly from the existing water pipe, the heat transport medium can be fed into the water conduit 130 using the pressure of the pressurized water. it can. That is, not only can the heat transport medium be obtained at a low cost, but also the pressure at the time of supply can be utilized. For this reason, there is no need to install a new pump device in the system, so the installation cost can be reduced. At the same time, energy and maintenance to operate the pump device are not required, and there is no need to worry about failure of the pump device. An excellent power generation system can be obtained. Of course, pressurized water introduced into the water pipe by an existing pump device can also be used.

  Further, since the heat of the solar cell 110 is used for power generation by the thermoelectric conversion module 120A provided separately, the recovery efficiency of recovering electrical energy from light energy is increased, and the thermoelectric conversion module 120A faces the second contact portion 132. The installation flexibility is high. Furthermore, compared with the case where thermoelectric conversion elements are spread on the back surface of the solar cell 110, a compact thermoelectric conversion element can be used and can be installed at low cost.

  In addition, the structure in which the flat second contact portion 132 is sandwiched between the thermoelectric conversion modules 120A efficiently transfers the heat of the water in the water conduit 130 to the thermoelectric conversion module 120A, thereby performing efficient thermoelectric generation. be able to. For example, particularly efficient thermoelectric generation is performed by setting the dimension in the long side direction of the cross section of the second contact portion 132 to 5 to 20 times the dimension in the short side direction. Furthermore, since the thermoelectric conversion module 120A can be installed on the flat surface of the second contact portion 132, the thermoelectric conversion module 120A can be easily manufactured and can have a simple structure resistant to impact.

  Further, in the solar cell 110, the lower layer of the narrow band gap is likely to have a lower conversion efficiency due to a band gap change due to a temperature rise. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, the first contact portion 131 of the water conduit 130 is provided on the back surface side of the solar cell 110, and the solar cell 110 is cooled from the back surface side, thereby increasing the temperature on the lower layer side of the solar cell 110. It is possible to effectively suppress the decrease in power generation efficiency as much as possible.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a first contact portion of a water conduit in Embodiment 2 of the power generation system of the present invention.
The first contact portion 231 includes a frame portion 231A and a pipe portion 231B integrated with the frame portion 231A, and the pipe portion 231B includes a single meandering cooling pipe. Differently, other configurations are generally the same as those of the first embodiment. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 231Aa denotes a frame body, and 231Ab denotes a receiving piece.

In this case, for example, one end of the pipe portion 231B is an upstream connection end portion 234 that passes through the vicinity of the corner of the frame main body 231Aa and protrudes to the front surface side and is connected to a water pipe (not shown), and the pipe portion 231B. The other end of the frame is a downstream connection end 231C that passes through the vicinity of the other corner of the frame main body 231Aa and protrudes to the rear surface side to be connected to a connecting pipe portion (not shown).
Further, the frame portion 231A has a support member 231Ac that supports the lower surface near the middle in the width direction of the meandering pipe portion 231B. The support member 231Ac is formed, for example, in an H-shaped or T-shaped cross-sectional shape so that it is difficult to bend, and both ends thereof are welded to the frame main body 231Aa and a contact portion is welded to the pipe portion 231B.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the first contact portion of the water conduit in Embodiment 3 of the power generation system of the present invention.
The first contact portion 331 includes a frame portion 331A and a pipe portion 331B integrated with the frame portion 331A, and the first contact portion 331 is different from the first embodiment in that the pipe portion 331B has a flat box shape. Is substantially the same as in the first embodiment. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 331Aa denotes a frame body, and 331Ab denotes a receiving piece.

In this case, the receiving piece 331Ab plays a role of supporting the lower surface of the outer peripheral portion of the flat box-shaped pipe portion 331B. Further, the upstream connection end 334 connected to the water pipe (not shown) is welded around the circulation port formed in the front wall of the pipe portion 331B through the front surface of the frame body 331Aa. The downstream side connection end 331C connected to the pipe part (not shown) is welded around the circulation port formed in the rear wall of the pipe part 331B through the rear surface of the frame main body 331Aa.
Further, a hole portion 331Ba for drawing out electrical wiring on the back side of the solar cell (not shown) is formed in a part of the pipe portion 331B (in this case, the center portion).
In addition, since the pipe portion 331B is formed in, for example, a hollow flat box shape of stainless steel, the bending tends to occur when the area becomes large. Therefore, a reinforcing rib may be provided inside the pipe portion 331B. May be formed in a stripe shape or a meandering shape.

(Embodiment 4)
7 is a perspective view showing a first contact portion of a water conduit in Embodiment 3 of the power generation system of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view at the position of line X of the first contact portion in FIG. .
The first contact portion 431 includes a frame portion 431A and a pipe portion 431B formed in a flat box shape by a translucent material that contacts the light receiving surface of the solar cell 110.

The frame portion 431A includes a frame main body 431Aa in which four metal strips are welded to a rectangular shape slightly larger than the solar cell 110, a receiving piece 431Ab formed along the inner peripheral surface of the frame main body 431Aa, Has a support plate material 431Ac welded to the inner peripheral surface of the frame main body 431Aa.
The receiving piece 431Ab is provided, for example, at the position of the lower end edge of the frame main body 431Aa, and the support plate member 431Ac is provided so that the upper surface thereof is flush with the upper surface of the receiving piece 431Ab. The solar cell 110 is installed on the receiving pieces 431Ab and the support plate material 431Ac.
Furthermore, a notch portion 43a for installing the pipe portion 431B on the solar cell 110 is formed at the left and right intermediate positions of the front and rear walls of the frame main body 431Aa so that connection end portions 434 and 431C described later do not hit.
In the fourth embodiment, two support plate members 431Ac are provided to avoid the position of the electrical wiring (not shown) at the center of the lower surface of the solar cell 110.

The pipe portion 431B is a hollow flat box formed of a transparent resin, and an upstream connection end 434 connected to a water pipe (not shown) is integrally formed on the front side thereof, and the rear surface side Are formed integrally with a downstream connection end 431C connected to a connection pipe (not shown), and the connection ends 434 and 431C communicate with the inside of the pipe 431B. The flat box-shaped pipe portion 431B may be provided with reinforcing ribs therein.
The pipe portion 431B is installed on the solar cell 110 in the frame portion 431A in a state where the connection end portions 434 and 431C are set at the positions of the notches 43a, so that the lower surface of the pipe portion 431B is a solar cell. 110 is in contact with the light receiving surface.
In order to fix the pipe portion 431B to the frame portion 431A, for example, a clasp 43b shown by a two-dot chain line may be attached to the frame portion 431A by bolt / nut coupling.

The power generation system of Embodiment 4 having such a first contact portion 431 is the same as that of Embodiment 1 except for the above-described configuration.
According to this power generation system, light passes through the pipe portion 431 </ b> B and water flowing into the pipe portion 431 </ b> B and is irradiated on the light receiving surface of the solar cell 110. The lower water in the pipe portion 431B heated by the heat of the solar cell 110 rises like a convection movement indicated by the arrow in FIG. 8, and the lower water at the upper temperature falls. Thereby, the heat of the solar cell 110 is efficiently transmitted to the water in the pipe portion 431B, and a high cooling effect on the solar cell 110 is obtained.
The pipe portion 431B is preferably formed in a size and shape that completely covers the light receiving surface of the solar cell 110 in order to suppress the temperature rise of the solar cell 110, and the height of the internal space is about 5 mm to 10 cm. preferable.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a power generation building provided with the power generation system of the present invention.
This power generation building is obtained by installing any one of the power generation systems of Embodiments 1 to 4 in a building.
Further, in the case of this power generation building, the power generation system includes a power conditioner 142 electrically connected to the solar cell and the thermoelectric conversion module via the electric wiring 143, and power generated by the solar cell and the thermoelectric conversion module. A storage battery 144 that stores the water, a sealed water storage tank 146 that stores water that has passed through the second contact portion (thermoelectric generator 20) of the water conduit 130 through the connecting pipe portion 135, and a flow rate adjustment provided in the water conduit 130. A valve 147 may be provided.
In FIG. 9, reference numeral 140 denotes a house (a general house) having a roof 141, 100 denotes a photovoltaic power generation unit having a solar cell and a first contact part, 120 denotes a thermoelectric generation part having a thermoelectric conversion module and a second contact part, W indicates a water pipe.

In the case of the fifth embodiment, the power conditioner 142 and the storage battery 144 are provided in the house 140, and the water storage tank 146 is provided, for example, along the upper part of the outer wall of the house 140 or near the roof in the house 140.
The photovoltaic power generation unit 10 is installed on the roof 141 of the house 140 via a support member (not shown), and the thermoelectric generation unit 20 is also installed on the roof 141. Moreover, the sunscreen 145 which covers the thermoelectric generation part 20 is provided in the roof 141 so that the heat dissipation by the heat radiating plate part (refer FIG. 3) of the thermoelectric conversion module of the thermoelectric generation part 20 may not be prevented.
At this time, the photovoltaic unit 10 may be installed on the sunny slope of the roof 141, and the thermoelectric generator 20 may be installed on the sunny slope of the roof 141. Furthermore, when the inclined surface of the roof 141 where the thermoelectric generator 20 is installed is different from the inclined surface of the roof 141 where the photovoltaic generator 10 is installed, the tap water that has passed through the photovoltaic generator 10 and the top of the roof 141 is It is preferable to make the inclination angle of the thermoelectric generator 20 as close to the horizontal as possible so that the second electric contact portion of the thermoelectric generator 20 can be slowly passed in a state of being filled. In this way, the heat of the heated tap water can be effectively transmitted to the thermoelectric conversion module, and the power generation efficiency in the thermoelectric generator 20 can be prevented from being lowered.

In this power generation building, since tap water is supplied from the underground water pipe W to the photovoltaic power generation unit 10 by the water conduit 130, the solar cell that generates photovoltaic power during the sunlight irradiation is cooled, and the water is supplied by the heat of the solar cell. Water is warmed, and the warm water is sent to the thermoelectric generator 20 through the connecting pipe 133, and the thermoelectric conversion module generates thermoelectric power.
The electric power generated by the photovoltaic power generation unit 10 and the thermal power generation unit 20 is sent to the power conditioner 142 via the electrical wiring 143, and is subjected to voltage conversion, conversion from direct current to alternating current, and the like as appropriate. Supplied to each electrical product. Further, surplus power generated by the power generation system is stored in the storage battery 144 via the power conditioner 142.
Furthermore, by connecting the power conditioner 142 to an external commercial power line, it is possible to make up for the shortage of power consumed in the house 140 and sell the surplus of the generated power to the power company. Become.

In the fifth embodiment, the thermoelectric generator 20 is arranged on the roof 141, and the heat transmitted to the thermoelectric conversion module is radiated mainly from the radiator (see FIG. 1) to the atmosphere. At this time, since the radiator is arranged in the shade by the shade plate 145, it is prevented that the temperature rises due to direct sunlight and the thermoelectric generation efficiency decreases.
Further, as shown in FIG. 9, when the photovoltaic unit 10 is installed on the inclined roof 141, the introduction pipe unit 130 a of the water conduit 130 that guides tap water to the photovoltaic unit 10 is replaced with the photovoltaic unit 10 (first It is preferable that water flows from the lower side to the upper side of the photovoltaic unit 10 by connecting to the lower sloped portion of the contact portion) and connecting the connecting pipe 133 to the sloped upper portion of the photovoltaic unit 10. Thereby, the tap water warmed in the photovoltaic unit 10 and having a light specific gravity is smoothly sent from the photovoltaic unit 10 to the thermoelectric generator 20, thereby increasing the heat transport efficiency.

In addition, the tap water that has passed through the thermoelectric generator 20 is temporarily stored in a storage tank 146 that is appropriately provided through the connecting pipe 135, and is used for normal water supply such as a kitchen, a bath, a bathroom, and a toilet in the house 140. It is done.
Most of the tap water is supplied through the underground water pipe W. Even in summer days when the temperature rises, the underground temperature is often lower than the atmospheric temperature. For this reason, the merit which can perform effective cooling is acquired by introduce | transducing into the photovoltaic unit 10 the tap water with comparatively low temperature supplied through underground. Furthermore, if the surface of the introduction pipe section 130a from the underground to the photovoltaic power generation section 10 is covered with a heat insulating material, tap water can be supplied to the photovoltaic power generation section 10 while maintaining a low temperature, and the cooling effect is further enhanced. Can do.
In addition, since the energy loss is reduced when the heat received by the photovoltaic power generation unit 10 is transported to the thermal power generation unit 20 without radiating as much as possible to the outside, the connecting pipe between the photovoltaic power generation unit 10 and the thermal power generation unit 20 It is preferable to cover the surface of the portion 133 with a heat insulating material.

When there are people in the house 140, water supply is intermittently used for cooking, washing, hand washing, and the like. Each time, tap water flows in the water conduit 130, and the solar cell is automatically cooled and transported to the thermoelectric conversion element. That is, measures are taken to increase the amount of power generation unconsciously when there is a person in the house 140 during the day and the power consumption is likely to increase.
As a more preferable form, by providing a flow rate adjusting valve 147 in the middle of the introduction pipe section 130a leading to the photovoltaic power generation section 10, a small amount of tap water may always flow, or in conjunction with a timer, Alternatively, tap water may be supplied. In addition to consumption of tap water in the house 140, by flowing tap water at an appropriate flow rate and timing, the temperature rise of the solar cell can be more effectively suppressed, and the water supply in the water conduit 130 in winter. It is possible to prevent water from freezing and damaging the water conduit 130. In this case, it is particularly preferable to provide a water storage tank 146 in order to supply tap water used in the house 140 without delay. While tap water in the house 140 is intermittently used, tap water is supplied as water supply via the water storage tank 146 to smooth the amount of flowing water in the water conduit 130. Can do.

  The size of the water storage tank 146 provided for smoothing the flow rate of tap water in the water conduit 130 is large enough that the water storage tank 146 does not become empty or become full due to the use of water supply in normal life. Size is preferred. From this, the size of the water storage tank 146 may be appropriately set based on the amount of tap water flowing into the water storage tank 146 through the water conduit 130 and the amount of tap water used in the house 140.

  If a sudden increase in tap water consumption occurs, in order to cope with this, instead of the flow rate adjustment valve 147, the flow rate of the tap water flowing in the first contact portion of the photovoltaic power generation unit 10 is adjusted. An electric valve 150 disposed in the water conduit 130, a water amount sensor 151 that detects the amount of water stored in the water storage tank 146, and a valve control unit 152 that controls the opening / closing operation of the electric valve 150 based on an electrical signal from the water amount sensor 151. May be provided in the power generation system.

In this way, the valve control unit 152 can control the electric valve 150 to increase the flow rate when the water storage amount is less than the predetermined amount, and to decrease the flow rate when the water storage amount exceeds the predetermined amount. Even when the amount of water used in the water storage tank 146 increases and the rate of decrease in the water storage speed increases, a certain amount of water can always be stored without emptying the water storage tank 146. It does not fall into a state and does not cause a problem in normal use as tap water.
Note that a temperature sensor may be provided in the photovoltaic unit 10, and when the temperature of the solar cell exceeds a certain range, the signal is sent to the valve controller 152, and the electric valve 150 may be controlled to increase the flow rate.

  Further, when the amount of tap water used in the house 140 is small, and as a result, the water storage tank 146 is almost full, the valve control unit 152 reduces the flow rate to zero based on the electrical signal from the water amount sensor 151. Thus, the electric valve 150 is controlled. In this case, since the photovoltaic power generation efficiency tends to be lowered, it is preferable to install a water storage tank 146 having a sufficient capacity so as to avoid such a situation.

(Embodiment 6)
FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another power generation building provided with the power generation system of the present invention.
This power generation building is also a building in which any one of the power generation systems of Embodiments 1 to 4 is installed.
The sixth embodiment is also an example in the case where the power generation system is installed in the house 140. However, the fifth embodiment is different from the fifth embodiment in that the thermoelectric generator 20 is installed under the floor 148 of the house 140. Same as 5. In FIG. 10, the same elements as those in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this case, the radiator (see FIG. 1) of the thermoelectric generator 20 is installed in at least one of a state in contact with the ground of the underfloor 148 and a state embedded in the ground.
The underfloor 148 of the house 140 is an area that is not always exposed to direct sunlight over a wide area, and the temperature of the ground of the underfloor 148 is relatively difficult to rise even during summer days. For this reason, a high heat dissipation effect is obtained by dissipating heat from the radiator to the ground or the ground below the floor 148, and efficient thermoelectric generation can be performed.

(Other embodiments)
1. Any one of Embodiments 1 to 3 may be combined with Embodiment 4 to cool (heat absorption) the solar cell from the back surface side and the light receiving surface side.
2. For example, in the case of a high-rise house equipped with facilities for supplying tap water from a water pipe to a water storage tank installed on the roof with a pump device, the pump device and the water storage tank can be used for the present power generation system.
3. In the flat box-shaped pipe portion of the first contact portion made of a translucent material (for example, a transparent resin material) in Embodiment 4, a plurality of lens portions made of the same material may be formed in a matrix on the upper surface. . In this case, it is desirable to design so that the solar battery cell is arranged at the focal position of the focused light that has passed through the lens unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Photoelectric generation part 20 Thermoelectric generation part 102 Heat transfer board 110 Solar cell 120 Thermoelectric conversion element 120A Thermoelectric conversion module 128 Radiator 121 P type semiconductor (thermoelectric material)
122 n-type semiconductor (thermoelectric material)
123 conductive film 124 positive electrode 125 negative electrode 126 heat absorption plate material 126a heat absorption surface 127 heat dissipation plate material 127a heat dissipation surface 130 water conduits 131, 231, 331, 431 first contact portions 131A, 231A, 331A, 431A frame portions 131B, 231B, 331B, 431B Pipe part 132 Second contact part 133 Connecting pipe part 143 Connection end part 140 Building (house)
141 roof 142 power conditioner 143 electric wiring 144 storage battery 145 sun plate 146 water tank 147 flow control valve 148 floor 150 electric valve 151 water sensor 152 valve control unit W water pipe

Claims (11)

A solar cell, a water conduit, and a thermoelectric conversion element;
The water conduit includes a connection end connected to a water pipe through which pressurized water is circulated, a first contact portion that contacts the solar cell downstream from the connection end, and a thermoelectric conversion element downstream from the first contact portion. A second contact portion that comes into contact with
The thermoelectric conversion element is configured to generate electricity by absorbing heat from water flowing in the second contact portion through the second contact portion and radiating heat to the outside.   The power generation system according to claim 1, wherein the water supply pipe is a water pipe.   The power generation system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a water storage tank that stores water that has passed through the second contact portion of the water conduit. An electric valve disposed in the water conduit to adjust the flow rate of water flowing in the first contact portion, a water amount sensor for detecting the amount of water stored in the water storage tank, and opening and closing of the electric valve based on an electrical signal from the water amount sensor A valve control unit for controlling the operation,
The power generation system according to claim 3, wherein the valve control unit controls the electric valve to increase the flow rate when the water storage amount is less than a predetermined amount and to decrease the flow rate when the water storage amount exceeds a predetermined amount.   The power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first contact portion is in contact with a back surface opposite to a light receiving surface of the solar cell.   The power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first contact portion is formed of a translucent material and is in contact with a light receiving surface of a solar cell. A heat radiator that contacts the heat radiation surface of the thermoelectric conversion element;
The said heat radiator is a power generation system as described in any one of Claims 1-6 which has a heat sink part for radiating heat to at least 1 in the atmosphere, the ground, and the ground.   The power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second contact portion has a flat surface that is in close contact with the heat absorption surface of the thermoelectric conversion element. Two or more thermoelectric conversion elements are provided,
The said 2nd contact part is formed in the flat shape which has a pair of said flat surface facing, The heat absorption surface of a pair of thermoelectric conversion element is closely_contact | adhered to a pair of flat surface in the opposing form. The power generation system described.   The power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a power conditioner electrically connected to the solar cell and the thermoelectric conversion element via a wiring. A building having a roof or a roof, and the power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
In the power generation system, the solar battery is installed on the roof or the rooftop in an inclined shape, and the first contact portion of the water conduit is configured such that the supplied water flows from the bottom to the top.

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