A power generation apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a cooling unit, a first thermoelectric module including a first thermoelectric element disposed on a first surface of the cooling unit, and a first heat sink disposed on the first thermoelectric element; and a first wiring part connected to the first thermoelectric element, wherein the cooling unit has a fluid receiving part formed in a first area thereof and a tunnel formed in a second area thereof, and the first wiring part passes through the tunnel.

This disclosure provides methods and apparatus for a beverage brewer. The beverage brewer including a burner, a reservoir, a controller, and a thermoelectric generator. The burner produces combustible heat across a surface. The reservoir stores a brewing fluid. The controller controls a brewing process. The thermoelectric generator is structured with a supply side, a waste side and a power output. The supply side is directed towards the surface of the burner. The waste side contacts the reservoir. The power output powers the controller.

A method is provided for producing an electrically-powered device and/or component that is embeddable in a solid structural component, and a system, a produced device and/or a produced component is provided. The produced electrically powered device includes an attached autonomous electrical power source in a form of a unique, environmentally-friendly structure configured to transform thermal energy at any temperature above absolute zero to an electric potential without any external stimulus including physical movement or deformation energy. The autonomous electrical power source component provides a mechanism for generating renewable energy as primary power for the electrically-powered device and/or component once an integrated structure including the device and/or component is deployed in an environment that restricts future access to the electrical power source for servicing, recharge, replacement, replenishment or the like.

A system and method for energy harvesting in a data center has one or more collection devices, a thermoelectric device, and a controller for directing the operation of the thermoelectric device and other equipment in the data center. The waste heat generated by the servers in the data center is harnessed and directed into the thermoelectric device where the waste heat is converted to usable electrical energy under the direction of the controller. The recycled electrical energy is then combined with utility-input power and provided to the servers and other equipment in the data center for consumption.

A system and method are disclosed for internally heated concentrated solar power (CSP) thermal absorbers. The system and method involve an energy-generating device having at least one heating unit. At least one heating unit preheats the energy-generating device in order to expedite the startup time of the energy-generating device, thereby allowing for an increase in efficiency for the production of energy. In some embodiments, the energy-generating device is a CSP thermal absorber. The CSP thermal absorber comprises a housing, a thermal barrier, a light-transparent reservoir containing a liquid alkali metal, at least one alkali metal thermal-to-electric converter (AMTEC) cell, an artery return channel, and at least one heating unit. Each heating unit comprises a heating device and a metal fin. The metal fin is submerged into the liquid alkali metal, thereby allowing the heating device to heat the liquid alkali metal via the fin.

The present disclosure relates to a method of fabricating a thermoelectric device. The method includes disposing a metal layer on a dielectric layer to form a sub-assembly, forming patterned circuits on the metal layer, forming blind vias in the dielectric layer, fabricating first thermoelectric elements in a first series of blind vias, and fabricating second thermoelectric elements in a second series of blind vias to form thermoelectric units with the first thermoelectric elements and the patterned circuits. The sub-assembly is configured to be joined to an adjacent sub-assembly along a first direction, and the first and second thermoelectric elements of each thermoelectric unit are aligned in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The present disclosure further relates to a thermoelectric device which includes a plurality of thermoelectric units forming a strip extending in a first direction.

A thermoelectric module includes a first electrode, a first oxidation preventing layer, a plurality of first bonding layers containing silver (Ag), a second oxidation preventing layer, a first plating layer, a thermoelectric element, a second plating layer, a third oxidation preventing layer, a second bonding layer containing silver (Ag), a fourth oxidation preventing layer, and a second electrode.

A qubit array reparation system includes a reservoir of ultra-cold particle, a detector that determines whether or not qubit sites of a qubit array include respective qubit particles, and a transport system for transporting an ultra-cold particle to a first qubit array site that has been determined by the probe system to not include a qubit particle so that the ultra-cold particle can serve as a qubit particle for the first qubit array site. A qubit array reparation process includes maintaining a reservoir of ultra-cold particles, determining whether or not qubit-array sites contain respective qubit particles, each qubit particle having a respective superposition state, and, in response to a determination that a first qubit site does not contain a respective qubit particle, transporting an ultracold particle to the first qubit site to serve as a qubit particle contained by the first qubit site.

A unique, environmentally-friendly micron scale autonomous electrical power source is provided for generating renewable energy, or a renewable energy supplement, in electronic systems, electronic devices and electronic system components. The autonomous electrical power source includes a first conductor with a facing surface conditioned to have a low work function, a second conductor with a facing surface having a comparatively higher work function, and a dielectric layer of not more than 200 Angstroms in thickness sandwiched between the respective facing surfaces of the first conductor and the second conductor. The autonomous electrical power source is configured to harvest minimal thermal energy from any source in an environment above absolute zero. An autonomous electrical power source component is also provided that includes a plurality of autonomous electrical power source constituent elements electrically connected to one another to increase a power output of the autonomous electrical power source.

A thermoelectric conversion element includes: a thermoelectric member that is columnar; an insulator formed around the thermoelectric member; and a metal layer formed continuously on an edge surface of the thermoelectric member and an edge surface of the insulator. An edge portion of the thermoelectric member and an edge portion of the insulator define a gap covered with the metal layer. The inner portion of the gap covered with the metal layer is a void.