Energy harvesting IC...

[Demon]

... I pulled out one of my peltier devices. Mine has heat sinks on both sides, so you may be able to generate more electricity with just a bare peltier using this method. I was able to get to about 1.025 Volts using hot tap water in a Ziploc ® one side, and an ice pack on the other. Total guess of about 100 degrees difference. I was sort of hoping to see a little more volts out of this one.

Walter

Ok, so now you got me curious too. Can you elaborate on the peltier, never seen one. Pics?


Shoot, if temperature differences can generate energy, I live in Quebec. I can stick a few of these in some windows during winter.

Come to think about it, you can also use it in reverse during summer; one end outside, one end going a few feet deep, maybe into concrete a few feet underground.

EDIT: A quick google got me this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_generator

Thermogenerators are devices which convert heat (temperature differences) directly into electrical energy. For the most part, this term is synonymous with "thermoelectric generator" (TEG) and rarely used in English. Essentially they work on the principle of the Seebeck effect, with typical efficiencies of around 5-10%. Older Seebeck-based devices used bimetallic junctions and were bulky while more recent devices use bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) semiconductor p-n junctions and can have thicknesses in the millimeter range. These are solid state devices and unlike dynamos have no moving parts, with the occasional exception of a fan.


EDIT SOME MORE: Ok, after seeing mention of TEC, I remembered seeing that term somewhere before, this is what I use to cool the cpu in my gamer pc:

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/491/1/