Thermoelectric tubes absorb electricity from hot water and recover energy that would otherwise be lost
Material converts heat energy directly into electricity
When we produce energy, we usually do it very inefficiently. We usually generate a high amount of heat (as in a car engine or in an incandescent light bulb, for example) and we use only a small fraction of that energy to run what we need and then we dispense high amounts of energy without using it, sometimes even investing efforts for its dissipation. It sounds weird, but that's what happens. Energy inefficiency.
It so happens that a Japanese company, Panasonic, seems to have found a good technological path in recovering this energy used for the benefit of thermoelectricity. That is, through the thermoelectric effect, the device is able to convert heat into electrical energy and convert heat energy directly into electricity. In this case, the company developed a thermoelectric tube capable of absorbing 2.5 watts of electricity from the hot water that runs along its length, a section equivalent to 10 centimeters in length. Four units arranged together can therefore generate up to 10 watts, enough to light a small light bulb. It's not revolutionary, it's true, but the concept is one of the most interesting, as it captures energy from hot water that would otherwise be lost in the environment, recovering part of it.
This is a good technological promise in contributing to making the use of energy more intelligent and efficient in applications that can occur in power generating plants, water heaters or even automotive engines. It is possible to think in the near future its application in compact, efficient and economical electricity generators, fueled by waste heat from factories or by geothermal sources.
Now Panasonic must look for ways to make the technology cheaper and make it available to the market as soon as possible, as the chances of success are the best possible.
Like the video below (in English) images about how the technology works.
