What is a Thermoelectric Generator?

With more and more people looking for ways to save energy, the phrase ‘thermoelectric generator’ is popping up much more often. Also known as thermogenerators, these devices basically simply convert any sort of heat into electric energy.

Trying to understand the actual process that allows this can be rather complicated – but it basically uses phenomenon known as the ‘Seebeck effect’ or ‘thermoelectric effect’.

Needless to say, the reason why the idea of converting heat into energy is so appealing is that it allows greater efficiency in a lot of cases. Many of the devices that we use on a daily basis produce heat as a byproduct of using energy, so imagine what would be possible if some of that heat was actually converted back into energy!

Even if it was just a small percentage, in the long run it would certainly add up and we’d be wasting a lot less energy than we normally do.

Nowadays, the use of a thermoelectric generator in various fields is being once again mulled over because it is a very ‘green’ alternative. By using waste heat, thermogenerators should help us to use less energy overall – which is always a good idea and is extremely environmentally friendly.

In particular, two applications of such generators are being looked at very carefully.

Automotive Thermoelectric Generator

All in all, the idea behind the automotive thermoelectric generator is simple – it will convert waste heat generated from an internal combustion engine back into electricity that can be used to power a vehicle.

In general, there are two types of these thermogenerators. One of them uses heat from the exhaust of the internal combustion engine, whereas the other uses heat from the coolant that is being used to cool the engine (and heats up by doing so).

Considering that about 40% of a typical internal combustion engine’s energy is lost through heat, there is certainly a lot of potential for this type of technology.

And by powering a vehicle’s electrical systems (such as the headlights, radio, and so on) using electricity generated through this method – less fuel would be burned to do so!

Right now there aren’t really any commercial vehicles that use an automotive thermoelectric generator – but there could be one just on the horizon with BMW announcing that they intend to launch the first in 2013!

Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators

Yet another up and coming technology, radioisotope thermoelectric generators are already being used to generate power for robotic solutions in remote locations (such as deep space, the Arctic, and so on).

Because they generate power via the heat released by decaying radioactive material – they aren’t entirely popular but certainly have found a high amount of usage in satellites, space probes, and so on.

Still – chances are you won’t be using one of these in your backyard anytime soon.

Honestly, the biggest and most exciting thermoelectric generator coming up is the automotive variety. If heat engines are a real possibility, it could help us reduce the amount of fuel we use on a daily basis!