http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2011/UR_CONTENT_343439.htmlNews Release
University of Minnesota engineering researchers discover new source for generating 'green' electricity
Contacts: Rhonda Zurn, College of Science and Engineering, rzurn@umn.edu, (612) 626-7959
Preston Smith, University News Service, smith@umn.edu, (612) 625-0552
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (06/21/2011) —University of Minnesota engineering researchers in the College of Science and Engineering have recently discovered a new alloy material that converts heat directly into electricity. This revolutionary energy conversion method is in the early stages of development, but it could have wide-sweeping impact on creating environmentally friendly electricity from waste heat sources.
Researchers say the material could potentially be used to capture waste heat from a car’s exhaust that would heat the material and produce electricity for charging the battery in a hybrid car. Other possible future uses include capturing rejected heat from industrial and power plants or temperature differences in the ocean to create electricity. The research team is looking into possible commercialization of the technology.
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Watch a short research video of the new material suddenly become magnetic when heated:
http://z.umn.edu/conversionvideo.…
For more detail on the research, read the entire paper published in Advanced Energy Materials at
http://z.umn.edu/energyalloy.…