[ExI] Device Converts Heat into Electricity

[BillK]

The researchers who developed the use of a quantum mechanical effect
to convert heat into electricity have developed a way to apply their
technique into a form that can be used in industry.

<http://www.rdmag.com/article/2017/01/device-converts-heat-electricity>
Quote:
Electrical and mechanical devices, including car engines, produce heat
called waste heat as a byproduct of their normal operation and the
research team was able to capture the waste heat inside specially
designed materials to generate power and increase overall energy
efficiency.
“Over half of the energy we use is wasted and enters the atmosphere as
heat,” Boona said in a statement “Solid-state thermoelectrics can help
us recover some of that energy.
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It is early days in this research, but this is the type of device I
have been watching for.
The idea that computronium satellites will be blasting waste heat out
into space seems really, really wasteful for a post-singularity
civilisation. Surely 'waste' heat can be used!

BillK