New Material Could Make Thermoelectric Power Practical

Researchers demonstrate a significant jump in the efficiency with which heat can be converted directly into electricity.

A practical, cheap device able to convert heat directly into electricity could transform the energy use of everything from cars to power plants. Moving a step closer to making such a device practical, researchers have made a material that produces about 20 percent more electricity from heat than previous thermoelectric materials. What's more, it doesn't require any difficult or expensive fabrication techniques, and it's made of lead telluride, which isn't prohibitively expensive.