Apple is in talks with the small company Eneco, developer of a chip capable of converting heat into electricity. Said chip also acts as a cooler when electricity is applied to it, thereby reducing the temperatures of the device on which it is applied.
The news, published in Green Business News, was announced last week by Dr Lew Brown, president of Eneco.
Brown indicates that the chip will revolutionize the generation of electricity, comparing it to the invention of the transistor.
According to said publication, “Eneco is a company in development phase that claims to have invented and patented a ‘solid state chip for energy conversion / generation’, and capable of converting heat directly into electricity or in an alternative refrigerator capable of reduce the temperature when electricity is applied to it. “
The chip uses the principle of thermal energy conversion, and it is based on the principle that electrons can be bounced between a hot metal plate and a cold metal plate to generate electricity in their movement.
Eneco indicates that the chip’s energy density is five times higher compared to current lithium-ion batteries, and four times better than future fuel cells expected to be available in 2010.
The company is targeting the space, military and handheld manufacturer markets as primary partners for the commercialization of the chip.
Initial discussions with Apple (and Dell) have focused on using such technology as part of a future cooling system for computers and portable devices.
However, the report also makes some unclear points on issues related to product design, so it is likely that products incorporating such technology will not be found in the short term.
