Hybrid solar and battery powered thermoelectric cooler

A thermoelectric cooler, comprising:

• a body defining an internal storage space;
• a lid enclosing the internal storage space;
• an insulation panel positioned within the lid;
• a cooling and heating plate secured to the insulation panel and facing the internal storage space;
• a plurality of thermoelectric modules positioned within the lid, each thermoelectric module having a cold side in thermal communication with the cooling and heating plate and a hot side;
• a plurality of heat sinks thermally coupled to the hot sides of the thermoelectric modules;
• and
• a controller configured to independently control electrical power supplied to each thermoelectric module.

A method of controlling temperature within a thermoelectric cooler, the method comprising:

• supplying electrical power to at least one thermoelectric module from a rechargeable battery;
• generating electrical power using a solar panel electrically coupled to the rechargeable battery;
• selectively charging the rechargeable battery using either the solar panel or an external alternating current source;
• transferring heat between an internal storage space and a cooling and heating plate using the thermoelectric module;
• and
• regulating operation of the thermoelectric module using a controller to maintain a selected temperature within the internal storage space.