CHAPTER I

The Problem and its Setting

This chapter contains the background of the study, the general and specific objectives

of the study, the significance and the scope and limitation of the research study.

1.1 Introduction

The importance of energy sources, such as renewable and non-renewable, remains

undeniable as mankind continue into the 21st century. Non-renewable energy sources

include fossil fuels that come from beneath the ground and take thousand years to form.

Renewable energy sources generate quickly and can supply a region with its long-term

energy needs into the future. When crude oil, a form of non-renewable energy, was found

out to be disappearing in about 50 years, many research studies focused on developing

alternative energy sources of power.

It is a well-known fact that the Philippines is a tropical island. It has only two seasons:

The wet and dry season. The rainy season start in June and lasts until October, while the

remaining months are dry. The Philippines’ hottest moths are recorded to be between the

months April and May. Although during the rainy season, the Philippines still experiences

bright and sunny days. The researches took this opportunity to work on a renewable

energy system that makes use of sunlight as its main source.

A thermoelectric power generation system takes in heat from a source such as hot

exhaust, and outputs electricity using thermoelectric modules. Maximizing the efficiency
(or, conversely, the total power output) of a thermoelectric power generation system

requires extensive engineering design. Trade-offs between total heat flow through the

thermoelectric modules and maximizing the temperature gradient across them must be

balanced. The design of heat exchanger technologies to accomplish this is one of the

most important aspects of engineering of a thermoelectric generator.

The researchers will develop a thermoelectric power generation system that could

minimize the power consumption in the Philippines. The researchers chose Tuguegarao

City to be the location of the system as it was named as the hottest city in the country.

1.2 Background of the Study

Renewable energy systems have become a fast-developing trend advocating clean

energy. The Philippines is a net importer of fossil fuels. The country relies heavily on coal

as the source of electricity generation. As of 2017, coal power plants generated 46.8

million MWh compensating almost half of the country’s power generation mix (Business

World, 2018). Renewable energy power plants only cover 24.6% of the country’s gross

power generation. This risk drives many researchers to conduct studies concerning

further developments in renewable energy.

In 2007 the world consumed roughly 500 quadrillion BTUs of energy and is expected

to increase at 1.4% per year. About 90% of this energy was generated through fossil fuel

combustion with a typical efficiency of 30-40%. The remaining 60-70% of the energy was

lost to the environment via automotive exhaust, industrial processes, and more. It is highly

desired to use the wasted heat to improve the overall efficiency of energy conversion.
The energy of the wasted heat can be collected and transformed to electricity through a

thermoelectric device.

Thermoelectric are solid state heat engines with materials properties that enable them

to convert waste heat into electricity. Their fundamental principle is based on charge

carriers: electrons in N-type materials and holes in P-type materials have the ability to

move freely through metals and semiconductors. In the presence of a temperature

gradient, charge carriers diffuse from hot to cold until an equilibrium is reached between

the diffusion potential and the electrostatic repulsion potential, resulting in a buildup of

charge carriers known as the Seebeck effect. Typical thermoelectric devices consist of

alternating P and N-type semiconductors connected electrically in series and thermally in

parallel. This allows the holes and electrons to flow in opposite directions forming an

electric current for power generation.

Even though it seems unlikely that thermoelectric devices will have a role in large

scale energy production, they do have some benefits over current technologies. Their

solid-state technology offers several large advantages compared to other technologies.

They produce electrical energy with no moving parts, which makes them silent and highly

reliable while also decreasing operation, maintenance, and potentially capital costs. This

allows them to be placed in harsh or remote environments where their reliability justifies

their lower efficiency and higher costs. However, the biggest advantage that favors

thermoelectric devices is their scalability. Typical coal or other mechanical engines

significantly drop in efficiency as they are reduced in size or power level. Yet,

thermoelectric maintain their efficiency regardless of power level even on the milliwatt
level. This leads to a cross over point where thermoelectric devices are actually more

efficient.

The researchers chose Tuguegarao City as the location of the system to be

developed. Tuguegarao experiences a tropical climate, with only a slight difference

between summer and winter temperatures, and high year-round humidity. The average

temperature during March and April is 38 °C (100 °F), one of the highest in the country.

On August 19, 1912 and May 11, 1969, the highest temperature in the Philippines

was recorded in Tuguegarao at 42.2 °C (108.0 °F). Thus, the city was tagged as the

"Hottest City in the Philippines". Unusually, in months—usually lasts from December to

February—where the cool northeast monsoon or locally as amihan surges, temperatures

in the city drop to as low as 15 °C (59 °F)—in 2017—especially in early mornings.

The thermoelectric generator system was to be situated in pavement roads because

of higher temperature due to the vehicles passing through. The researchers would further

develop existing studies by introducing storage of energy to the thermoelectric generator.

Moreover, the main purpose of the thermoelectric generator is to power up street lights

during the night.

1.3 General Objectives

To design a thermoelectric generator system situated on the main roads of

Tuguegarao City that stores energy within the day and powers street lights at night.
1.4 Specific Objectives

Specifically, it aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. To optimize the design of renewable energy component by adding energy storage

and applying the system for practical use.

2. To convert thermal energy in road pavements into functional power source.

3. To design a system that can supply load on powering street lights at nighttime.

1.5 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The research is strictly limited to the feasibility of thermoelectric generator as a source

of energy for powering streetlights during the night at the main roads of Tuguegarao City.

This study does not include factors such as weathering and poor maintenance that could

affect the efficiency of the system. Moreover, the researchers would not be taking into

consideration the

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study intends to design a system that will apply thermoelectric generators into

sources of street lights. Through this, the researchers believe that the following will benefit

from the finding of this study:

Consumers. Street lights are highly necessary during the night, especially in main roads.

Heat, in order not to be wasted, could substitute in generating power for this application

instead of consuming commercial power.

Students. The design proposal will serve as a guide to students. The research focuses

primarily on application of renewable energy. This will help students gain the theoretical

and practical skills to explore the growing field of renewable energy technologies.

Future researchers. Thermoelectric generators had not yet been into the attention of the

local researchers. This study proposes the feasibility of thermoelectric generators as a

substitute source of energy in small-scale applications within the country.