Design of optimal thermoelectric generator array for harnessing electrical power from air-conditioning unit

A thermoelectric generator array or TEG array was designed and tested that is capable of capturing waste heat energy and convert it into a usable electrical energy that can be used to power up electronic devices requiring low power consumption. An air conditioning unit was used as a source of waste heat energy. A cooling system was designed together with copper plate system that will eventually differentiate the cold side and the hot side of the compressor, which is the source of most of the waste heat. A DC to DC boost converter was also considered to improve the voltage and power being harnessed by the system. Lastly, a voltage monitoring unit was added to continuously monitor the output voltage of the TEG array. The converted electrical energy from waste heat energy is used and tested to check if the harnessed power is able to power up smartphone chargers and similar electronic devices. Experiment results show that the efficiency of the TEG I around 7.1768% and can be improved to 55.2889% efficiency if used together with the DC to DC boost converter. © 2019 Authors