Electric Power Generation at Low Temperature Gradients

The thermoelectric (TE) efficiency of ion-conductive materials is investigated for energy harvesting from heat wastes or wide-spectrum solar radiation. The physical model for the phenomenon has been developed, and experimental results are analyzed here in terms of practical implementation with power conversion at near ambient temperatures. This analysis addresses TE efficiency, power conversion efficiency, and options for practical implementation. Experiments demonstrated that the relatively high TE voltage generation coefficient in excess of 6 mV/K is achievable, although the output power is rather limited.