PDF/月刊誌論文/code:pg_1103_04 マテリアル インテグレーション 2011年3月号
ELECTRONIC CERAMICS グリーンイノベーションを支える産総研の電子セラミックス研究

高効率熱電発電の実用化への挑戦
■著者
独立行政法人　産業技術総合研究所　ユビキタスエネルギー研究部門 舟橋 良次

■要約
We are facing serious problems for energy and environment. The demand of primary energy in the world was as much as 11,204 million ton of petroleum a year in 2004. It has spent a long time to appeal using up the oil. But the amount of oil consumption will increase year by year. Average of total thermal efficiency is as low as 30%, about 70% is exhausted to the air as waste heat. It is clear that recovery and convert huge amount of waste heat to electricity can contribute to solve the energy and environmental problems. Though technologies of storage and transport of heat energy have been developed, most waste heat can not be used effectively because of dilute distribution. Recently thermoelectric conversion is gathering attention, because it is the strongest candidate to generate electricity from the dilute waste heat.