Turning Heat to Electricity

Summary posted by Meridian on 11/20/2009
Source: MIT News
Author: David L. Chandler

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, have found a way to more efficiently harvest electrical power from what would otherwise be wasted heat. Computer processor chips, car engines and electric powerplants waste approximately 60 percent of their energy as excess heat, creating a major source of inefficiency. The new research shows that by using a system in which power is generated by a single quantum-dot device, a type of semiconductor in which the electrons and holes carry the electrical charges, they can efficiently convert heat into electricity, and with very little power. The team also found that their new system allows them get both high efficiency and high-throughput power. This type of waste-energy harvesting could lead to power plants that put out more electricity for a given amount of fuel, or cell phones and laptop computers that can operate twice as long on a single charge, and eventually cars, planes and boats that operate more efficiently. Peter Hagelstein, an associate professor of electrical engineering and a co-author of a paper on the new concept that will appear this month in the Journal of Applied Physics, says "[T]here's a gold mine in waste heat, if you could convert it. A lot of heat is generated to go places, and a lot is lost. If you could recover that, your transportation technology is going to work better." The article can be viewed online at the link below.

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our team contact us site map	Turning Heat to Electricity Summary posted by Meridian on 11/20/2009 Source: MIT News Author: David L. Chandler Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, have found a way to more efficiently harvest electrical power from what would otherwise be wasted heat. Computer processor chips, car engines and electric powerplants waste approximately 60 percent of their energy as excess heat, creating a major source of inefficiency. The new research shows that by using a system in which power is generated by a single quantum-dot device, a type of semiconductor in which the electrons and holes carry the electrical charges, they can efficiently convert heat into electricity, and with very little power. The team also found that their new system allows them get both high efficiency and high-throughput power. This type of waste-energy harvesting could lead to power plants that put out more electricity for a given amount of fuel, or cell phones and laptop computers that can operate twice as long on a single charge, and eventually cars, planes and boats that operate more efficiently. Peter Hagelstein, an associate professor of electrical engineering and a co-author of a paper on the new concept that will appear this month in the Journal of Applied Physics, says "[T]here's a gold mine in waste heat, if you could convert it. A lot of heat is generated to go places, and a lot is lost. If you could recover that, your transportation technology is going to work better." The article can be viewed online at the link below. The original article may still be available at web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/thermoelectric.html As tagged by Meridian Institute: Energy: Energy, Climate Change Implications: Human Enhancement, Governance, Economic Competitiveness Materials And Manufacturing: Electronics, Manufacturing Nanomaterials: Metal Nanoparticle Regions: North America Stakeholders: Government, Academia Minerals And Metals: Metals Related Forums: Materials and Manufacturing Metals and Minerals Economic Competitiveness Governance print format	NDN Home Subscribe Manage Subscription Search News Archives Nanotechnology Quintuples Heating Capacity of Solar Water Heaters -- Renewable Energy Magazine (9/1/2010) Researchers at the University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil, have developed a solar heating system that uses nanotechnology to heat water to five times the temperature of a conventional system, while also permitting the collector surface area to retain up to 98 percent of heat from solar radiation. [More] Pakistan's Science Minister Attacks Funding Cuts -- SciDev.Net (9/1/2010) The Pakistan government has cuts its funds for the Pakistan Ministry of Science and Technology's 2010-2011 budget by almost half, causing the science minister, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, to criticize his own government. [More] Nanotechnology: Small wonders -- Nature (9/1/2010) This article takes an in-depth look at the United States National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)'s first 10 years - to find out where the money went and what the initiative plans to do next. [More] Nanotech on Farmers' Fields -- Silicon Nutrition (8/31/2010) A plant nutrition study that addresses nano-sized plant nutrients is now available from the Landbouwkundige Uitgeverij G.C. van den Berg (Veenendaal, The Netherlands). [More] More News... Learn how to include these headlines on your own website by clicking here. Please email us if you require text-only versions of the daily emails.