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Apple investigates heat-to-electricity chip from Eneco

by Erica Sadun Nov 22nd 2006 at 8:00AM

Apple Insider reports that a new chip that could convert heat into energy. The new "solid state energy conversion generation chip" is under development by chip maker Eneco. It works by grabbing electrons from a hot metal plate, passing them across a vacuum to a cold metal plate and capturing the resulting electronic charge. Or something like that.(We're not physicists, so don't sue us or anything.) The article says that Eneco is in talks with Apple (as well as Dell) to use this technology to harness the waste heat given off by CPUs to power fans and other electronic components.

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Apple Insider reports that a new chip that could convert heat into energy. The new "solid state energy conversion generation chip" is under...
 

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Rus

Not being a doubter like "this technology will never happen" ... but this isn't even REMOTELY possible - this is more efficient than a refrigerator or modern automobile!

November 24 2006 at 1:08 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ian

Don't thermocouples already perform the same function?

November 22 2006 at 9:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Henry

How about they just power laptops with Strontium-90 RTGs? That would only add about 60 pounds, hardly noticeable if you have a 17" MacBook Pro. Or a Steorn drive! Then you could violate the law of conservation of energy and play Quake 3 at the same time!

November 22 2006 at 7:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Douglas Shearer

PLanetaryGear - The device absorbs the heat, it doesn't transfer it. The thermal energy is transfered into kinetic energy to move the electrons from the (hot) cathode to the (cold) anode.

November 22 2006 at 2:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
kt

when I fist heard about this my first thought was a perpetual motion machine.
but in laptop form
it was amazing in my mind.

November 22 2006 at 12:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Youssef

WOW...This could be integrated in iPod resulting in waaaay better battery life you know, i hope they do make good use of it.
Anyway, Apple will always be the best. =D

November 22 2006 at 12:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
PlanetaryGear

Yea, but you have to have a high temperature differential to get much heat from this kind of thing at all. So unless they waste a lot of power to run a fan or something they aren't going to get much. I suppose this could be a brand new ulta wonderful technology so much better than the peltier junctions that we're already familiar with, but even so unless you can keep one side nice and cool, not just a little bit cooler, the efficiency is going to be very very low.

November 22 2006 at 11:28 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Douglas Shearer

I heard about this a while back (I did physics when I was at uni), seemed a laptop was the ideal candidate.

Ultimately reclaiming even 20% of the wasted heat would allow a bit more battery life, or a lighter machine due to a smaller battery.

Bring on the 10" Macbook!

November 22 2006 at 11:06 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Paul

@ultim8Fury:

"...assuming the company still exists then..."

Turns out Eneco is a Dutch utility company, wholly owned by the municipalities it serves. They had $4.8B in sales in 2004. I assume they'd be able to survive if this project doesn't pan out.

Unfortunately, that also means theres no way to invest in the company in case it does pan out.

November 22 2006 at 10:44 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Biffo

Sounds more like he/she should be renamed "Troll".

November 22 2006 at 10:43 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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