New thermoelectric technology harvests power from temperature fluctuations

Massachusetts researchers have invented the first of a new breed of thermoelectric devices, reported Science Daily. Dubbed the “thermal resonator,” it can generate electricity from its surroundings on a 24/7 basis for years.

Thermoelectric devices convert heat from sunlight into electricity. A thermal resonator, on the other hand, taps the regular shifts in temperature that take place throughout the day to produce modest amounts of power.

“It’s something that can sit on a desk and generate energy out of what seems like nothing,” explained Michael Strano, a chemical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).