HeatLight is a prototype device that converts waste heat into light. The device uses a thermoelectric Peltier generator that converts heat into electricity to charge up a battery, which then powers LEDs. The LEDs light up in response to a signal from a passive infra-red detector when it detects a person walking by.
Source: Cnet
The National Health System in the UK is trialling HeatLight this winter as it is ideally suited to the medical sector. The trial will include video monitoring to ensure the lights turn on and off as intended. Hospital corridors are often lit continuously through the night with fluorescent strips but the HeatLight device would charge up when the heating is on and then provide low-level lighting at night only when required, due to the infra-red detection system. For use in homes, HeatLight could clip onto a radiator and provide safety lights at night or during power cuts, with no extra cost to the home owner. LEDs are not only energy-efficient, but are tolerant of being turned on and off repeatedly, unlike fluorescent strips which have a shorter life.
If the trial is successful, commercial production could begin in 2010. This device would have many applications especially in the developing world and big institutions could make enormous savings on lighting. HeatLight Ltd was founded by IT expert Robert Johnson and mechanical engineer Michael Reid who points out that the energy source is heat, generally from gas, which is much cheaper than electricity.
Top image source: Brightside Contracting Services
For more attend: Energy Harvesting & Storage USA 2009
