Sorry - above my pay grade knowing what that is. Got a bit of education to get through.
So it’s a Seebeck Effect generator and really isn’t what we’d call a solar device today.
HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world 11 months ago
CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 11 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.
HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Does this mean - in theory - I can put one metal plate out in sun, one in shade, connect with a wire? Or is it a contact surface area thing?
luthis@lemmy.nz 11 months ago
Pretty sure they have to be together. You can’t put one plate on the equator and one in Antarctica and generate infinite electricity
CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Sure that does work but it’s not efficient.
Thermal solar generators do exist but they use a liquid as a heat transport mechanism. These use mirrors to focus the sun into a single point. In general you get more efficiency when there’s a larger temperature difference.
You could also get infinite energy by digging a deep hole since it gets hotter there deeper you dig. It’s just pretty expensive.
luthis@lemmy.nz 11 months ago
This is how fridges work in reverse right? Apply current and make one side really cold?
belathus@bookwormstory.social 11 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.
luthis@lemmy.nz 11 months ago
Ohhhh… Thanks!
HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Fridges work on gas pressure - compress a gas it heats up, decompress a gas it cools…
luthis@lemmy.nz 11 months ago
Wait… then what am I thinking of? I’m sure this effect is used somewhere
HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Looks like you are also a kiwi (that or an AI bot cus i see you everywhere) so probably in an electric chilibin- the reverse effect can be used to cool one plate of metal and heat up the other side.
dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 11 months ago
You are thinking of a thermo-electric cooler (TEC) or peltier cooler. They actually are used on smaller wine fridges but not full sized fridges. They are light-weight, electrically efficient, and reliable. They were also used in the early days of CPU overclocking.
CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 11 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.