Solar Thermoelectric Generators

In this chapter we will present the full-thermal approach to thermoelectric solar harvesting. Analysing the state of the art of this field we will report on its historical development, showing its advantages. Technical and technological issues solved and yet to be solved will be addressed as well. Starting from a description of the main system components we will analyse the literature and the strategies reported so far. Then we will discuss how a solar thermoelectric genenerator (STEG) may be modeled, quantitatively predicting their final efficiency. This analysis will show which are the main parameters influencing STEG performances, suggesting which are the best solutions to achieve efficiencies competitive with other solar strategies.