heatled

Energy | Worldwide

LED lamp for room illumination powered by waste-heat from stoves

Open indoor fires are used both for cooking and light in the evenings. A high efficiency cookstove can greatly improve fuel use for cooking and decrease smoke inhalation, however it cuts out light. Traditionally, a few 1 watt LED's have been used to light up a small room as well as a campfire. However, solar LED lighting systems may not work during rainy or winter seasons in some areas. A thermoelectric charging source could provide this power by sitting on top of a high efficiency cookstove. Peltier junctions optimized for use as heat pumps are relatively inexpensive ($16 for a 50 watt module), and could possibly be used to generate 2-5 watts as a thermoelectric generator despite poor efficiency. Various fans with similar technology that sit on top of woodstoves are commercially available. The goal is low cost per watt for a 5 watt generator - not necessarily efficiency. If the balance of the system (aside from the Peltier module) can be manufactured in country with basic tools, that would be helpful. Can it be made for less than $60?

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Jun-13
01:06 EST

Re: Peltier Devices - chrisgagne
On that same topic, here's a link to a YouTube video of one such device, apparently as a part of a college project: ...

Jun-12
22:10 EST

Re: Peltier Devices - chrisgagne
I came across something today that looked interesting: http://sci-toys.com/my_toys/stirling_engine.html See the...

May-11
18:52 EST

Peltier Devices - eecue
It seems to me that peltier devices are very inefficient, maybe some type of miniature turbine device that would sit...

Apr-22
15:46 EST

Caframo Ecofan - chrisgagne
There's a company in Canada called Caframo that produces a device called an "Ecofan." It is a fan that sits on...