Thermo-Electric Generators
14th December 2021
Thermo-electric generators convert heat directly into electricity, using the voltage generated at the junction of two different metals. This sounds like an excellent way to generate electric power; there are no moving parts, no working fluids, and very little to go wrong. Unfortunately the process is inefficent, and is not going to displace steam turbines. The output is DC, which is not helpful if you want to use a transformer to change the voltage. Nonetheless, thermoelectric generators were and are used where their special characteristics are needed.