Design and Experimental Study of a Prefabricated Building Thermoelectric Power Generation–Wall System for Severe Cold Climates

With the increasing global demand for sustainable energy, energy conservation and efficiency in buildings located in severe cold climate regions have attracted considerable research attention. Conventional exterior wall insulation and energy utilization strategies in such environments often fail to achieve the desired levels of efficiency, energy conservation, and productivity. To address these challenges, this study proposes a thermoelectric power generation–wall system (TEPG–Wall System) designed specifically for prefabricated buildings. The system utilizes Ni90Cr10-Ni45Cu55 thermoelectric material, integrated with a wall collector cavity design, to harness the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor environments for electricity generation. Through software simulations and experimental investigations, the thermoelectric performance of the system under severe cold climate conditions was analyzed. With only 15 parallel devices, the system achieved an average output power of 0.02 W under typical operating conditions, corresponding to an annual energy output of approximately 0.0586 kWh. Such an energy output is sufficient to power low-power building equipment.