Comment on If the first solar entrepreneur hadn't been kidnapped, would fossil fuels have dominated the 20th century?

• luthis@lemmy.nz ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Seebeck Effect

  This is how fridges work in reverse right? Apply current and make one side really cold?

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  • belathus@bookwormstory.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ 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.

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    • luthis@lemmy.nz ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Ohhhh… Thanks!

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  • HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Fridges work on gas pressure - compress a gas it heats up, decompress a gas it cools…

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    • luthis@lemmy.nz ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Wait… then what am I thinking of? I’m sure this effect is used somewhere

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      • HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ 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.

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      • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ 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.

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  • CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ 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.

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• HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Sorry - above my pay grade knowing what that is. Got a bit of education to get through.

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  • CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ 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.

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    • HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ 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?

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      • luthis@lemmy.nz ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ 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

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      • CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ 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.

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