An mobile solar powered EV charging station consists of an inflatable solar concentrator based hybrid solar thermal and photovoltaic subsystem with thermoelectric activated thermal storage to store thermal storage and regenerate electric power; a battery bank subsystem to store the cogenerated electric energy from the hybrid solar thermal and photovoltaic subsystem; an electric driving subsystem to make the entire system mobile; and a control subsystem to coordinate all of the subsystem to work. The mobile EV charging station is not only able to generate electric power locally to charge EVs, but also able to transport power from solar powered EV changing station network and power grid to the sites where EVs are located.

An air duct system includes an air duct having a main body. The main body of the air duct defines a passageway and an outer surface. The air duct system also includes one or more thermoelectric generators. Each thermoelectric generator includes a hot side and a cold side, and the hot side of the thermoelectric generator is positioned along the outer surface of the air duct.

A temperature stimulus presentation device 100 that uses a Peltier element 10 to present a temperature stimulus includes a human body detection unit 20 that detects contact of a part of a human body H with a heat dissipation plate 12 or a heat absorption plate 11 of the Peltier element 10 based on a change in an electrostatic capacitance between the heat dissipation plate 12 and the heat absorption plate 12, and a temperature stimulus generation unit 30 that supplies a current to the Peltier element 10 when an amount of the electrostatic capacitance change exceeds a threshold.

A heat dissipation assembly is configured to be thermally coupled to a heat source. The heat dissipation assembly includes a thermoelectric cooler and a heat dissipation component. The thermoelectric cooler has a cold surface and a hot surface. The cold surface faces away from the hot surface, and the cold surface is configured to be thermally coupled to the heat source. The heat dissipation component is thermally coupled to the hot surface of the thermoelectric cooler.

A thermoelectric conversion unit includes a pair of low-temperature fluid flow path sections arranged to face each other, a high-temperature fluid flow path section arranged between the pair of low-temperature fluid flow path sections, a pair of thermoelectric modules each arranged between the high-temperature fluid flow path section and one of the pair of low-temperature fluid flow path sections in a one-to-one relation, and a rod-shaped convex fin and concave fin both arranged in the high-temperature fluid flow path section. The concave fin includes a recess fitted to the convex fin. An outer peripheral surface of the convex fin and an inner peripheral surface of the recess of the concave fin are in contact with each other, and a gap is formed between a tip of the convex fin and a bottom of the recess of the concave fin.

A thermoelectric conversion unit includes a pair of low-temperature fluid flow path sections arranged to face each other, a high-temperature fluid flow path section arranged between the pair of low-temperature fluid flow path sections, a pair of thermoelectric modules each arranged between the high-temperature fluid flow path section and one of the pair of low-temperature fluid flow path sections in a one-to-one relation, and flat heat transfer plates arranged in the high-temperature fluid flow path section to face each other. Each of the flat heat transfer plates includes an opening and a baffle projecting from a peripheral edge of the opening and baffling a high-temperature fluid passing through the opening to flow in a direction toward one of the pair of thermoelectric modules or the other.

A multi-stage cascaded thermoelectrical cooler (TEC) package is used in conjunction with an air cooling system to control temperature of battery cells in a battery module such that the temperature differences stay within a predetermined range. Battery cells in the battery module are divided into one or more regular sections and one or more TEC enhancing sections. A regular section and a TEC enhancing section can use different types of battery cell holders to assemble the battery cells. TECs in the TEC package are integrated into each enhancing section, where each stage of the TEC package is attached to one or more battery cells in a different region of the enhancing section. A higher stage, which is more powerful in enhancing heat transfer and extracting heat from battery cells, is attached to one or more battery cells in a section closer to the air outlet. The TEC package is powered by a discharging convertor circuit of the battery module.

A waste heat gathering and transfer system and method that, in certain embodiments, includes a collector for collecting at least a portion of waste heat dissipating from one or more waste heat sources, such as equipment surfaces and flames, a heat-to-electricity converter; and an electricity-to-grid transfer interface. In some instances, the system and method also include an electric-to-grid optimizer. In some embodiments, the heat-to-electricity converter is a semiconductor-based converter. In other embodiments, the heat-to-electricity converter is an organic rankine cycle. In some instances, the heat collector includes an external collector layer with an inner and outer surface, an internal collector layer with an internal and external surface, an interior gap area between the external collector layer inner surface and the internal collector layer internal surface, an insulating material, a heat collecting component, and a heat transfer component.

A system may include a heat-generating component and a thermoelectric cooler thermally coupled to the heat-generating component and arranged such that when an electrical parameter is applied to the thermoelectric cooler, a temperature gradient is created across the thermoelectric cooler in which a first side of the thermoelectric cooler proximate to the heat-generating component is at a lower temperature than a second side of the thermoelectric cooler opposite the first side and less proximate to the heat-generating component than the first side.

A thermoelectric generator includes: a heat-receiving plate having a heat-receiving surface configured to receive radiant heat; a thermoelectric generation module provided to a surface of the heat-receiving plate opposite from the heat-receiving surface and having an area smaller than an area of the heat-receiving plate; a cooling plate provided to a surface of the thermoelectric generation module opposite from a surface where the heat-receiving plate is provided; and a temperature equalizer provided to the heat-receiving plate and configured to equalize a temperature of the heat-receiving surface.