this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2023
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Sorry - above my pay grade knowing what that is. Got a bit of education to get through.
Basically when there’s a temperature difference been two different metals that are touching a small current is produced. You can also go backwards and use electricity to create a temperature difference (Peltier Effect).
They have niche applications because the effect is pretty small. Hardly a realistic substitute for solar panels that use the photovoltaic effect.
Does this mean - in theory - I can put one metal plate out in sun, one in shade, connect with a wire? Or is it a contact surface area thing?
Pretty sure they have to be together like a creme biscuit. You can't put one plate on the equator and one in Antarctica and generate infinite electricity
It could work... but you would need an adequate layer of vanilla creme to compliment the chocolate.
Engineering is delicious.
I mean, it's a DC current so would bleed off over distance anyway.
Well you could, but the resistance in a wire that long would kill it.
Sure that does work but it’s not efficient.
Thermal solar generators do exist but they use a liquid as a heat transport mechanism. These use mirrors to focus the sun into a single point. In general you get more efficiency when there’s a larger temperature difference.
You could also get infinite energy by digging a deep hole since it gets hotter there deeper you dig. It’s just pretty expensive.
Geothermal is the solution we need more of.