Thermoelectric energy production for the industry

Thermoelectric energy production for the industry

The efficiency of a typical petroleum generator is about 30%, which means that more than two-thirds of chemical energy in the fuel is wasted as heat. In comparison, only 30% is converted into usable electricity. To reduce waste, Alphabet Energy recently launched E1, a solid-state thermoelectric generator that takes waste heat from diesel-powered generators and converts it into electricity, increasing generator efficiency by about 2.5%. That might not sound like a lot, but per unit, this slight improvement in efficiency can save about $50,000 in fuel costs and 156 tons of CO2 emissions each year. Put one of these on each generator, and the effect becomes big.

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are not new; In fact, Thomas Johann Seebeck discovered the Seebeck effect - the property that results in a temperature difference in voltage - when Abraham Lincoln was reading books by candlelight of twelve. (I'll save you the trip to Google - that was 1821.) TEGs have two problems: They are inefficient and expensive. Alphabet Energy has developed a range of highly efficient silicon-based TEGs that cost significantly less than their counterparts made from more exotic materials, making E1 an affordable option with a short payback period. Alphabet claims the E1 is the world's most powerful thermoelectric generator.

Top Thermoelectric Energy Companies

Phononic

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  Phononic is a consumer products company innovates solid state thermal management solutions that achieve sustainable, distributed, convenient, and connected cooling and heating products. Diverse market opportunities include refrigeration, cold storage, transportation, climate control, convenience, fiber optics, and data server communications. The headquarters are located in the world-renowned Research Triangle Park area in North Carolina State; the company is led by a team of the experienced entrepreneurs and backed by a global mix of venture capital and best-in-class institutional investors.
  
  

The Manufacturing

• The Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC) develops and demonstrates innovative manufacturing processes and technologies in an agile, low-risk environment in partnership with industry, academia, and other organizations. They focus on delivering customized manufacturing systems solutions to our clients.
  
  

e-peas

• The e-PEAS was founded in 2014 on the conviction that the trillions of nodes connected to the Internet of Things to be deployed in the next few years will require disruptive solutions to extend the life of batteries. There are only 02 ways to reach this goal: by increasing the amount of energy harvested; and by significantly reducing the energy consumption of all energy-consuming masses in the system. At e-peas, they believe that combining both approaches will make new applications possible. Relying on ten years of research and their patented disruptive technologies, e-peas offers a range of products, including photovoltaic and thermoelectric harvester interfaces, microcontroller and sensor solutions, all believed to be easy to interact to improve system robustness and reduce application development time. Applications: indoor tracking; home automation; smart buildings; smart cities; smart metering; Wearable devices; e-health; smart agriculture.
  
  

Dycotec Materials Ltd

• The Dycotec Materials Ltd is an advanced materials company headquartered in the United Kingdom that develops and manufactures conductive inks, coatings, insulators, and barrier films for electronics and clean technology applications. In addition to their standard range of the products, they work with our customers to customize unique materials to meet their requirements. Our materials are subject to rigorous testing standards to ensure applications are approved for the military and industrial sectors. Working in tandem with our materials development activities, our dedicated engineering team has electronics design and software development expertise to advance our clients' concepts from prototype to product launch.
  
  

ASPEN PRODUCTS

• Aspen offers custom off-the-shelf cooling systems that deliver full-size thermal management in ultra-compact solutions. Aspen offers standard products, including liquid cooling units (the refrigeration circuit our customers integrate into their suites), environmental controllers (powerful air conditioners used primarily to cool military electronics), rack coolers (complete cooling units that customers use in medical refrigeration, lasers, and electronics). However, most of our production is for systems specifically designed or modified for specific applications. Our engineering team develops the perfect solution for you.
  
  

Jaguar Land Rover

• Every vehicle they produce is online and connected, with smart features designed to remind, warn and help us be one step ahead of us, helping to make our journeys safer and more enjoyable.
  
  

GreenTEG

• GreenTEG works with the latest thermoelectric technology developed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). This technology is used in heat flow sensors, laser detectors, and energy harvesting. Possible applications for gTEG®s include, but are not limited to, energy harvesting units. On: construction technology (such as an automated heater valve); consumer electronics; industry; and research.