Technology
Energy
harvesting that generates electricity using such small energy sources as
vibration, sound, light from fluorescent lamp, radio wave, and heat from
machinery and home electronics attracts increasing attention. KELK, a company
of the Komatsu subsidiary, is marketing a thermoelastic generation module that
changes the heat from production equipment to electricity. It is a bismuth
telluride metal. If one side of the module is heated and the other side is
cooled, there will be difference in temperature between the two sides. Then, it
is possible to send an electric current between the two sides by dint of the
temperature difference. An output of 24 watts is available if one side is 280
degrees centigrade and the other side is 30 degrees centigrade. Although the
output is small, this module allows for effective reutilization of waste heat.
The company plans to strengthen the marketing efforts toward 2013.
NipponSteel Chemical developed a dye sensitization cell that generates electricity
using heat from room lighting. The dye that absorbs light generates electricity
when it transfers electrons to titanic oxide. It is possible to increase the
conversion efficiency by changing the blending of dyes depending on the wavelength
of light. The company already developed the dye sensitization cell that employs
resin substrate instead of glass substrate. It can be bendable because the
resin is soft, and it can be installed on a curtain or a poster. The company
built on trial such products with built-in dye sensitization cell like portable
battery charger for a mobile phone. The company plans to commercialize them
toward 2013.
The thermoelastic
generation module from KELK, a company of the Komatsu group
The flexible dye sensitization cell developed by Nippon Steel Chemical
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