Free energy?

Hey, new to this, but very interested in converting heat to electricity!

Can you explain the theory behind a pelcier cell? I'm having a little trouble finding anyone to explain it to me, it seems like an amazing technology though that could possibly revolutionize technology!

Thanks ahead of time

I've talked to a few of our suppliers recently and energy harvesting is a big topic for them. Linear Technology, TI and Microchip all have solutions to collect and store energy from natural phenomenom like heat, light and vibration. The circuits consist of a collector such as a solar panel, conversion and a storage battery. Sometimes the circuits have a supplemental battery.

The suppliers are claiming that these circuits can power an sensor, MCU and a Zigbee type measurement node for ten years and upwards.

But I think you may be referring to cold fusion type circuits, which many invertors claim to have made. All these claims have proved impossible to replicate under controlled conditions. It is a fascinating subject and I watched a great show on it once

In applications I have used solar, it's been that they are either off the grid or just require power intermittantly. Then it's usually the storage device that limits its use. One problem is that at higher latitudes, the use may be more when the nights are longer, and the weather worse, so you can end up with having to over specify the solar input side to get the required energy into the system. Solar powered lighting for the Developing World is a real application, as it reduces their reliance on such as kerosene for lighting and has obvious safety advantages.

don't need, ask the goverment for ur solar panel support, then pay some

for yourself, few years later, you get true free energy.

I find the EuroDish stirling generators quite interesting, as they use a parabolic mirror to concentrate light onto a small chamber which inturn heats water that drives a stirling engine, however this system also has flaws mainly in cost and maintainence. I think it would be neat if we could convert existing fossil fuel plants, which burn fuels to generate steam and so drive turbines, to instead generate steam using geothermal energy of the earth. As far as free energy goes (as in free for me) I have used static generators before to power small sensors with moderatly good results, luckly I'm near a TV transmission tower.

I agree that you could never get more energy than what was inputed.  If this was true that person would be one rich person.  I am also a big camper and found a company that produces a cook top that also allows you to charge a device while cooking.  The company is called BioLite.

Absolutely! There is enough thermal energy bombarding the earth daily, to provide all our enegy needs.

.. If only we could capture it!

The focus has always been to 'intercept' the thermal 'flow' and do work in the process - one has (say) a parabolic reflector focussing onto a boiler, and vent the boiling steam through a turbine.. this effectively allows the heat to do work (turn the turbine, the mechanical resistance of which is determined by the load, which is where the useful work is done) and the heat is disipated (goes more entropic, is defocussed, more spread out) according to the natural order of the universe.

The "trouble" with this scheme (and, for that matter, every scheme [including peltier] which relied on thermal difference) is that loads of potential energy which could be captured must be lost.

What we need, is some 'collector' which 'sucks' thermal energy from its 'substrate' , converts this to electrical energy which does work 'remotely' and causes cooling of the 'substrate' as a 'byproduct' ... Such a collector would collect more incedent thermal energy because it would be cold and non-radiating, it would not require any 'sink' to provide differential temperature, because the load it is driving would effectively be the 'sink'.

What I think we need is some way to rectify and collect the thermal noise found in all conductors / semiconductors, and to do this in a way which causes actual molecular / atomic movement / vibrations to be reduced in this process, therebye causing cooling.

I have been "working" on this for years but am not getting anywhere - simply dont have funds or a lab capable of the other disciplines required to really test the hypothesis - in particular, chemistry and manafacturing of specific semiconductor substrates etc is needed - using ready made semiconductor parts and materials doesnt give what I am looking for - or at least, doesnt give enough that I can measure it!

Of course - I may be completely mad!  ;-)

Fred