Oh, it's just a thermopile put out in the sun.
I can see why it never caught on then. You'd be relying on the difference in temperature between the hot side of a thing painted black put in the sun and the cool side in the shade. The amount of energy you'd get from such a setup would be infinitecimal. I'd expect you'd need to do an absurd amount of work and use an absurd amount of material just to power a single house.
The amount of energy it would take to build a "solar cell" thermopile that'd generate 1.5v with a quite high internal resistance would probably be in the megawatt-hours, likely from coal and oil.
HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world 8 months ago
No such thing as too curious… unless you are a cat. Little dangerous there.
If im reading this correctly, and translated to english:
non conductive block
two different alloys - zinc and opposite to zinc (antinomy) v copper and nickle/copper/zinc.
assuming light hits, produces difference between metal and opposite metal, results in current flow through wire to equalize. Not sure how rare earth Nickle and zinc are, but suppose its not cobalt.
CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 8 months ago
So it’s a Seebeck Effect generator and really isn’t what we’d call a solar device today.
luthis@lemmy.nz 8 months ago
This is how fridges work in reverse right? Apply current and make one side really cold?
belathus@bookwormstory.social 8 months ago
The device you’re thinking of might be a peltier or thermoelectric cooler (TEC). But yes. They’re way less efficient than a vapor compression refrigerator, though.
HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Fridges work on gas pressure - compress a gas it heats up, decompress a gas it cools…
CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Like the very small fridges that work for a single soda can? Refrigerators use the liquid/gas transition to move heat around. It’s much more efficient.
The only real advantage of Peltiers are simplicity and size.
HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Sorry - above my pay grade knowing what that is. Got a bit of education to get through.
CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Basically when there’s a temperature difference been two different metals that are touching a small current is produced. You can also go backwards and use electricity to create a temperature difference (Peltier Effect).
They have niche applications because the effect is pretty small. Hardly a realistic substitute for solar panels that use the photovoltaic effect.
luthis@lemmy.nz 8 months ago
Nickel and zinc are very common to my knowledge. And much easier to mine than lithium