GMZ Energy Announces Efficient Thermo-Electric Means To Convert Waste Heat To Electrcity
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 05. 1.08
GMZ Energy has announced the availability of a new thermoelectric material, a nanostructured bismuth antimony telluride bulk alloy, that will support design of more energy-efficient products.
In the near-term, the GMZ material will be used in cooling applications and to create products that consume less energy or capture energy that would otherwise be wasted. Longer term, it can provide more advanced solutions, such as cars partially powered by the exhaust system and solar thermal panels with heightened performance. The GMZ material, currently in advanced testing stage at select U.S. and Asia-Pacific manufacturers and being sampled by early customers, integrates easily into existing and new product designs for a rapid time-to-market.See the full abstract from Science here. See full coverage in MIT News, here.
Via::NanoWerk Image credit: Boston College, MIT, and GMZ Inc., "A cross-section of nano-crystalline bismuth antimony telluride grains, as viewed through transmission electron microscope. Colors highlight the features of each grain of the semiconductor alloy in bulk form."
"a nanostructured bismuth antimony telluride bulk alloy"
Oh ok, I see what they're talking about
I don't think this story should be underestimated. If it's truly cheap, it could be implemented faster and cheaper than solar PV panels. A couple of cheap mirrors could focus tons of heat. It could be on heat pump motors, car engines, roofs, brake pads, etc. Thousands of applications. It all depends on the price and availability. It doesn't have to be very efficient if it's cheap enough.
Combined with PV it could really make them viable sources of energy.