energy Harvesting from Waste Heat energy #Harvesting from Waste Heat tagged posts

This illustration shows the room temperature MEMS metamaterial, which can achieve reconfigurable infrared intensities equivalent to a temperature change of nearly 20 degrees Celsius. Credit: Xinyu Liu, Duke University

1st MEMS metamaterial device displays infrared patterns that can be quickly changed. A new reconfigurable device that emits patterns of thermal infrared light in a fully controllable manner could one day make it possible to collect waste heat at infrared wavelengths and turn it into usable energy. The new technology could be used to improve thermophotovoltaics, a solar cell that uses infrared light, or heat, rather than the visible light absorbed by traditional solar cells...