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How to Build a Homemade Thermoelectric Generator

Thursday, November 12, 2015 11:26

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How to Build a Homemade Thermoelectric Generator

A thermoelectric generator uses the concept of difference in temperature between two materials to create electricity. So could this technology be adapted to make a thermoelectric generator at home? As a matter of fact one can quite easily, though the efficiency of such a generator is no going to be terribly high, it certainly can be put to practical use.

One can use Peltier powered thermoelectric generator at home by following the steps below:

Buy two radiators at an IT store and apply thermal fan paste to facilitate sticking of the Peltier unit.
Now separate the two radiators with an appropriate thermal insulator.
Next carve out an opening in the insulator to accommodate the Peltier unit. Enough space should be left for a couple of wires as well.
Now rig the assembly together and start applying heat to one of the radiators. The longer that you do it, more will be the current that will flow out from your homemade thermoelectric generator.
Depending upon the size of our generator you will be able to power more and more devices or gadgets in your home. Typical examples are mobile phone charging.
Running a small radio and making LED light come alive. It is also a great idea to use these to power outdoor fans and lighting that are not connected to your home’s power grid.

Parts needed.

1: x1 Peltier Cell (heat to electrical energy)
2: Medium Size Aluminium Heatsink (salvaged from an old PC)
3: Selection of Thick Gauge Electrical Wire,x2 colours.(optional)
4: Input & Output plugs/jacks,pre bought,or made.(for power input and or output) (optional)
5: Project Box,partially heatproof if possible,use insulating material,metals,foil etc. (optional)
6: Thermal Paste (optional) Aluminium Metals & Foil (helpful)
7: Assorted Connectors for Battery/s.
8: Box cutter or exacto blade. (for cutting light metals)
9: Heavy Duty Scissors (for cutting metals)
10: Screwdriver assortment. (for sealing project box screws & in/out puts)
11: Screw & Bolt assortment. (for attaching metal plates & headsink/s)
12: Soldering Iron & Solder (optional) used for welding wires more securely.
13: Rechargeable low to medium power rated battery (for recharging)
14: Heat “Shrink” pieces for heat shielding on wires added protection (necessary)
15: x1 Blocking Diode,to prevent reverse charging.
16: x2 Aluminium cans. (metal plate)
17: Thick Copper Metal Wire.
18: Digital multimeter Voltage Tester.
(Anything listed as optional is not required but a helpful add-on or attachment,like the battery box and reverse charging diode)

The best thing about using thermoelectric generator is that it is a free and inexhaustible source of energy as long as one has simultaneous access to materials that have some temperature difference, which can be tapped togenerate the required electric current. While one may imagine that this technology has not been widely deployed, the fact of the matter it even powers deep space flight, where it has proven to be a more efficient technology than solar energy.

Since it is so easy to assemble this kind of a generator, it would be great if more and more people put it to use and obtain free electricity simply by utilizing the impact of varying temperature of two near substances or objects- a common enough occurrence in most homes. This could help augment what is supplied by the grid and if everybody did it, there would be a difference made in terms of less power drawn from the grid. That as we all know will contribute to making our planet a much greener place than it is.

While one can try and make a thermoelectric generator oneself following the above steps, it might not be a bad idea to watch a YouTube video or two for better clarity on the subject. When you do get down to making your own thermoelectric generator the pleasure you will derive from first using it to run a fan or light up a small bulb will be unparalleled.

This is how to build a homemade thermoelectric generator from easy to find materials. This simple cell will produce a minimum of 250mv. from the exhaust of a wood stove, the goal is to build enough cells that the thermoelectric generator will provide some form of trickle charge to batteries.

Thermoelectric Power Generation On Wood Stove

Here is my Thermoelectric Power Generation scheme using TEC moduals from a small lab hot plate, a heat sink and a small radio I can generate enough power to run. I thought to my self the extreme temp differential in the winter and how my wood stove could be the heat and outside the cold, I jumped to prototype but I ran out of gumption and funding anyways it’s a start and an idea for waste heat power generation.