Presentation on Thermoelectrics at Al Gore's Solutions Summit May 1, 2008

The following presentation and manuscript (links below) were prepared at the request of the Office of Honorable Al Gore & Mrs. Tipper Gore for presentation at a 'Solutions Summit' panel on ‘Nanotechnology and New Materials’ held May 1, 2008 in New York City.

The roundtable was chaired by the former Vice President as part of a broader discussion about solutions for the climate crisis. He believes, and do I, we have only a limited time to solve this planetary emergency. The discussions themselves were off the record but Mr. Gore is preparing a new solutions-oriented book. I have opted to make my own contribution public. It was a rare privilege for me to participate.

Many people in the thermoelectric community graciously contributed ideas and graphics for this effort. Where I have included citations, please respect the original authors intellectual property rights. Also keep in mind that those cited need not (and many do not) share my opinions or conclusions on the subject. But as Robert Park might say, they should.

I am distributing these materials that they may stimulate some discussion and I welcome comments. The full paper is available here:

http://www.zts.com/limitedrole_paper

Brief comments can be posted online at

http://www.zts.com/limitedrole

More elaborate responses are also welcome and I will make space available on my website for any reasonable comments. As always, you can reach me through http://www.zts.com/contact

The Limited Role for Thermoelectrics in the Climate Crisis

Title	The Limited Role for Thermoelectrics in the Climate Crisis
Publication Type	Unpublished
Year of Publication	2008
Authors	Vining, CB
Abstract	The climate crisis presents unique and largely unprecedented social, economic, political and technical challenges. The technical challenges, though enormous, may prove the most tractable of all. Among the technical challenges is the development of energy technologies with much reduced environmental impact This note provides an overview of thermoelectric technology, a solid state ‘heat engine’ capable of converting heat to electricity or alternatively converting electricity into cooling. Such an overview is timely because thermoelectric technology has made significant scientific progress in recent years and its potential to reduce the environmental impact of electrical power generation has been discussed. While the science, technology and business of thermoelectrics has never been stronger than today, the opportunity for a material impact on the climate crisis appears limited. Only a single application, recovery of vehicle waste heat, appears plausible in this respect. And even that application faces stiff barriers.

Attachment	Size
20080501-Summit-Vining-final.pdf	2.63 MB
20080501-Summit-Vining.ppt	11.02 MB

Things I Left Out

Since posting my Solutions Summit paper a few possibilities for thermoelectrics have been brought to my attention which I have either underestimated or neglected entirely.

Distributed Thermoelectric Cooling and Heating (HVAC) in Cars

Conceptually similar to the car seat cooler/heater approach by Amerigon, a distributed TE cooling/heating system delivers climate control directly to the car occupants. Reportedly, this appraoch uses less than 25% of the power required for conventional car A/C systems [Fairbanks, ECT2008], thereby improving car fuel efficiency and reducing CO₂ emissions. Moreover it eliminates the need for R-134a, the preferred refrigerant today and a powerful greenhouse gas (GWP₂₀=3820 x CO₂) already slated by be phased out in Europe. I did mention the R-134a issue in my oral presentation and that eliminating R-134a means all the alternative A/C technologies move up on the list, including thermoelectrics. I neglected to mention HvAC in cars in my paper, nor that DoE is sponsoring thermoelectric efforts along these lines. And I should have.

Third World Applications

I only touched on a woodstove project and I neglected to provide a reference. Paul van der Sluis is the team leader for the Woodstove project at Philips Research. The idea is a simple, inexpensive stove that burns wood for cooling much more efficiently and cleanly than alternatives. A thermoelectric device powers a fan, crucial to the fuel efficiency improvements. The efficiency of the thermoelectric device itself is not so crucial. The woodstove provides a number of qualitative of life improvements (reduced fuel use, fewer particulates, faster startup). With respect to CO₂ emissions reduction, these would have to be distributed in the millions to have a material impact. But with support from developed countries, that may be possible. The woodstove is undergoing field tests now.

A second question was raised by T. H. Culhane, a UCLA Urban Planning Ph.D. candidate. Culhane has been interviewed on NPR and again on NPR here in connection with the Solar Cities project he co-founded with his wife. He suggests using the heat from cooking stoves and a TEG to provide enough electricity (say) to power some highly efficient and inexpensive LED for lighting. Conceptually identical to the "Partisan Kits" distributed in the 10s of thousands by the Soviets in WWII: hang the TEG in a kerosene lamp or cooking fire and provide enough electricity to power a radio.

I don't know if these ideas can materially impact climate change or not. But it is worth running the numbers, particularly because they can improve quality of life right now. Cost, and a business model for distribution also needs attention.

I'll post other ideas as they come to my attention.