+- Google Alerts on Thermoelectrics 20080110

Recent Google searches on thermoelectrics turned up (in no particular order):

• Nextreme Thermal Solutions^TM announces Ultra-High Packing Fraction (UPF) OptoCooler module
  • “The OptoCooler module is the industry's first thermoelectric device to offer a heat pumping density in excess of 70 W/cm², a ten-fold increase in heat pumping capacity over conventional TEC modules,” said Dave Koester, Vice President of Engineering at Nextreme.  Available now and can be purchased for $12 in unit volumes of 1000’s.
• Super Soaker Inventor Aims to Cut Solar Costs in Half
  • Lonnie Johnson, inventor of the "Super Soaker", has a new invention: JTEC (Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Conversion System).  JTEC is a kind of closed-cycle fuel cell where hydrogen circulates between two membrane-electrode assemblies.  According to the Popular Mechanics article, efficiency approaches the Carnot ideal.
• Advances in Energy Harvesting Technologies
  • Frost and Sullivan have produced a report on possible energy harvesting technologies, including thermoelectrics.  An overview and the table of contents are available online.
• Honda sees Clarity as future
  • Article about a hydrogen/oxygen fuel cell powered car under development by Honda.  The sole thermoelectric connection: "The engineers reduced the load on the air-conditioning system by bringing climate control directly to the occupants, using fans in the seats to blow air cooled or warmed by thermoelectric elements."
• S.A.R.A.H. the RTG powered home!?!
  • It was news to me, but there is a TV show called Eureka.  The show features the home of the future known as "Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat" (aka S.A.R.A.H.).  Electrical power is supposedly provided by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator.  Seriously.
• Tiny devices harvest heat from machines to power sensors
  • An industry promo piece on Micropelt, highlighting that "Micropelt is producing kits (shown above) that allow potential users to evaluate its energy-harvesting technology."  Nice photo.
• Fête Keeps Constant Temperature
  • I'd seen thermoelectric hot/cold plates for laboratory use but this is the first consumer product along those lines:  a thermoelectric hot/cold serving plate.  Seems to be a prototype at this time.
• World's First Commercial Solar Thermoelectric Power Plant
  • Thermoelectric, yes: it converts heat to electricity.  But no thermocouples: it concentrates sunlight to generate 250 ^oC heat, which makes steam to run a turbine.  It generates 11 MW, enough to power about 6000 homes.