Unlocking the potential of thermoelectric materials Thermoelectric materials could play a major role in addressing energy sustainability concerns. The UncorrelaTEd project aims to break the relationship between the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity, which is key to improving the efficiency of these materials and unlocking their wider potential, as Dr Jorge García-Cañadas explains. The development of alternative sources of energy is widely recognised as a major priority, as countries around the world seek to address sustainability concerns and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. More than 60 percent of power generated across the world is lost as waste heat, with virtually every industry contributing to some extent. It is estimated that more than 2,100 gigawatts of wasted energy were generated in the US alone in 2020, while it is thought that around 17 percent of the energy used in European industry is lost as waste heat. Thisrepresents a huge amount of energy and a vast potential resource to be tapped into. Recovering even just 10 percent of this waste heat will exceed the sum total of most current renewable energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro energy), while there are abundant potential sources. In addition to waste heat, heat sources such as the sun or even our own bodies can be used to generate electricity.
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This is where thermoelectric materials come into play. Thermoelectric materials can directly convert heat into electricity under safe, clean, andenvironmentally friendly operation by using temperature differences to produce an electrical current.
electrical conductivity of thermoelectric materials limits their overall efficiency. “The Seebeck coefficient and the electrical conductivity are connected. If you increase one then the other decreases,” continues Dr García-Cañadas.
There is waste heat all around us, from our own bodies to geothermal energy, representing a vast source of potential energy. Improving the efficiency of thermoelectric materials is key to harnessing this potential. “When you have a temperature difference across a material it can be converted into a voltage, then used to generate electricity,” explains Dr Jorge García-Cañadas, Principal Investigator in the Thermal and Electrical Systems Laboratory at Universitat Jaume I. However, the adverse relationship between the Seebeck coefficient – a measurement of the voltage that can be induced in a material per each degree of temperature difference – and the
UncorrelaTEd project This issue is central to Dr García-Cañadas’ work as the Coordinator of the UncorrelaTEd project, an initiative bringing together six partners from across Europe. The primary aim in the project is to essentially break this relationship between the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity, which could open up wider possibilities in the application of thermoelectric materials, moving them beyond niche applications towards the
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