Thermoelectric materials can convert heat into electricity and vice versa. They are being used to harvest wasted heat energy from vehicles and create more efficient cooling devices. NASA uses them to power space probes. MIT is researching new, more efficient materials. The thermoelectric process is the direct conversion of heat into electricity and vice versa […]
Thermoelectric cooling uses electricity to create temperature differences. The Peltier effect can convert temperature differences into electrical voltage or use electricity to create temperature differences. Thermoelectric coolers are used in computers, spacecraft, and portable coolers. Thermoelectric generators use temperature differences to generate electricity. Thermoelectric cooling is less efficient than refrigeration but has advantages such as […]
Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) use heat from radioactive decay to produce electricity. They do not use nuclear fission or fusion and are highly radioactive. They are used in spacecraft and other systems where other energy sources are impractical. They use thermocouples to convert heat into electricity, but are inefficient and expensive. Plutonium-238 is the most […]
