CH-24-C121 - Development of a Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting System for Lunar Habitation

In recent years, the demand for space missions worldwide and the need for research have increased significantly. Research on manned habitats is essential for the development of resources (such as rare earths and tritium) and the Artemis project. Furthermore, the establishment of a long-term manned lunar habitation can benefit extensive scientific research. The extreme temperature variation on the lunar surface, which ranges from 90 K to 390 K, poses a significant challenge for establishing lunar habitation. However, this temperature contrast also presents an opportunity for energy generation using thermoelectric generators (TEGs). TEGs, which are known for their adaptability to varying temperatures, can utilize this temperature gradient as a passive power source. In addition, the characteristics of the TEG, whose efficiency increases significantly with the increase in both the temperature gap and the temperature itself, offer additional advantages for lunar energy harvesting. Furthermore, the basic mechanism of the TEG does not include moving components, making them reliable in harsh lunar conditions that include issues related to lunar dust. Moreover, TEGs can be utilized for independent wireless sensor networks, thereby avoiding maintenance risk due to damage. This study evaluated the suitability of TEGs for lunar habitation by examining their performance under lunar environmental conditions. The concept of the TEG is introduced with the present findings, and a detailed experimental setup for measurements is presented. Experiments were conducted using an representative lunar surface environment, and the thermal characteristics of the TEG were measured. The results demonstrated improved TEG efficiency with greater temperature gradients, especially under cooling conditions, which highlights their potential for passive energy harvesting on the Moon. Future research should be conducted on system design through simulations and chamber experiments to develop passive energy harvesting on the Moon.