Stable and reliable energy supply units are important components of micropower wireless monitoring systems intended for alpine regions. In this work, a phase change material (PCM)-based solar thermoelectric energy-harvesting device was proposed, and a corresponding coupled heat transfer numerical model was built. The temporal thermal distribution and output power characteristics of the device were calculated and analyzed. Next, the influences of the PCM module and vacuum glass cover on the device's thermal and electrical power performance were examined. The average output power of the developed device in the focal alpine region was 12.94, 74.51, 97.39, and 33.86 mW on January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15, respectively; these values meet the energy requirements of many micropower wireless sensors in alpine regions. The average output power of a none-PCM unit was only 7.82 mW and 26.0 mW as well as the average output power of a none-vacuum glass cover unit was 0.85 mW and 2.66 mW on January 15 and July 15 respectively, which were of 39.57%, 73.3%, 93.43%, and 97.27% reduction compared with comprehensive model. Thus, the PCM and vacuum glass cover module were deemed important for the entire system, namely by increasing the device's working temperature and ensuring the continuity of the system's power supply to enhance system performance.

中文翻译：

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阿尔卑斯地区基于PCM的太阳能热电能量收集装置性能的数值研究

稳定可靠的能源供应单元是用于高山地区的微功率无线监控系统的重要组成部分。本文提出了一种基于相变材料（PCM）的太阳能热电能量收集装置，并建立了相应的耦合传热数值模型。计算并分析了设备的瞬时热分布和输出功率特性。接下来，检查了PCM模块和真空玻璃盖对设备的热和电性能的影响。1月15日，4月15日，7月15日和10月15日，开发的装置在高寒山区的平均输出功率分别为12.94、74.51、97.39和33.86 mW。这些值满足高山地区许多微功率无线传感器的能源需求。1月15日和7月15日，无PCM单元的平均输出功率仅为7.82 mW和26.0 mW，无真空玻璃罩单元的平均输出功率分别为0.85 mW和2.66 mW，分别为39.57和39.57。与综合模型相比，分别减少了％，73.3％，93.43％和97.27％。因此，PCM和真空玻璃盖模块被认为对整个系统很重要，即通过提高设备的工作温度并确保系统电源的连续性以增强系统性能。