Posted on 09/12/2019 12:58:37 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
"Remarkably, the device is able to generate electricity at night, when solar cells don't work,"
"Beyond lighting, we believe this could be a broadly enabling approach to power generation suitable for remote locations, and anywhere where power generation at night is needed
The device developed by Raman and Stanford University scientists Wei Li and Shanhui Fan sidesteps the limitations of solar power by taking advantage of radiative cooling, in which a sky-facing surface passes its heat to the atmosphere as thermal radiation, losing some heat to space and reaching a cooler temperature than the surrounding air. This phenomenon explains how frost forms on grass during above-freezing nights, and the same principle can be used to generate electricity, harnessing temperature differences to produce renewable electricity at night, when lighting demand peaks.
Raman and colleagues tested their low-cost thermoelectric generator on a rooftop in Stanford, California, under a clear December sky.
(Excerpt) Read more at techxplore.com ...
Contrast: solar panels average (all factors considered) 10 watts per square meter.
And I’ve spent all summer struggling with running a laptop off a 1m^2 panel, as an experiment.
Nothing sucks worse than a cold tesla
Thanks fieldmarshaldj.
Raman and colleagues tested their low-cost thermoelectric generator on a rooftop in Stanford, California, under a clear December sky.
Best part is, the soup is shelf-stable.
Your math is way off. Even if the output stayed continuous for an hour at 25 milliwatts, the energy would be 0.025 Watt-hours, not 90. That wouldn't even keep the laptop LED lit.
Also, it must be kept in mind, that like solar panels, the device requires a clear sky to operate. It doesn't function if there are clouds.
You can use a potato to create electricity.
Yes, but pounding nails into potatoes ruins them for french fries!
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