Axil Axil <[email protected]> wrote: "Thermoelectric chips?" > > > > Exactly. > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nantenna > > > > . . . >
> > > What will make the Cold fusion reaction really useful is direct thermal > electric generation technology. > It is "really useful" already. Small turbines are really practical too, and cheap. Furthermore, as Michele Comitini points out, many household and industrial uses of energy can be converted from electricity to heat. Many were converted from heat to electricity a century ago, but they are just as conveniently done with heat. For example, gas-fired thermal refrigerators work fine, and they were in widespread use in the 1930s. I saw some in the 1960s. Comitini's estimate of likely future electric power consumption at home is probably too low, however. I looked at consumption in the home, and estimated how much can be conveniently shifted to the direct use of heat. See chapter 15 of my book. I used statistics from the DoE Energy Information Administration showing that electricity accounts for 7,913 kWh per year per household. That 27% of household energy. I estimate that will fall to 5,500 kWh (19%). That's only 0.6 kW of power on average, but you need much higher peak capacity. Realistically, you need about 10 kW of generator capacity, after moving most applications to raw heat. Details are in chapter 15, as I said. - Jed
