Heat to Electricity Conversion Storage Device

There are many electrical and electronic products we use that give off heat as waste. Stuff like transformers, adaptors and fluorescent tube lighting. Here’s one concept that tries to convert that form of waste energy back into electrical energy.

The heat to electricity conversion device by Shuguang Li and Xiaoping Chen looks pretty much like a USB adaptor, However its main source of energy does not come directly from the power supply grid. Instead it relies on waste heat energy collected from fluorescent tube lighting using a circuit that converts the heat energy into an electrical charge, which it then collects and stores. The energy collected can then be used by means of a USB port for various purposes.

While collecting radiant heat can be really an inefficient process, every little amount counts and on a large scale it can help to offset some of the cost of operating the lighting system. This will be suitable for places like server farms to help save cost and also the environment.

A pretty cool idea for a gadget that is able to convert unwanted heat into electricity.

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