Thermal Energy Harvesting

							Engineering for Sustainability

http://engineering.tufts.edu/

Thermal Energy Harvesting
What is the problem? Currently, we can’t harvest most thermal energy (heat) directly for electrical power. Why is it an important problem? Heat in many processes is lost to the environment (e.g. car engines, industrial smoke stacks, the heat from the sun). This energy could be harvested and used to increase efficiency of a device, enable devices to be used in new ways, or the creation of entirely new devices. How are we addressing the problem? We are exploring new material and device technologies to create highly efficient thermophotovoltaic cells. Using some techniques that have been applied to infrared cameras, we are able to harness energy from wavelengths that were previously inaccessible. What are the expected results and impact? Our goal is to create thermophotovoltiac cells with greater than 80% conversion efficiency for a given thermal band. These cells could then be created and packaged for innumerable uses. This would increase the efficiency of power plants (conventional, solar, and nuclear) as well as make everyday devices (e.g. cars, household appliances, and electronics) more energy efficient by recycling their waste heat into electricity.

Who is sponsoring this project? National Science Foundation Department of Energy Department of Defense The Intelligence Community How can we find more information on this project? Prof. Thomas Vandervelde (tvanderv@ece.tufts.edu)