Via Popular Science, a new alloy can convert heat directly into electricity. I always had a hunch that turbines were overrated. Here’s the gist of it:
“The new alloy — Ni45Co5Mn40Sn10 — undergoes a reversible phase transformation, in which one type of solid turns into another type of solid when the temperature changes, according to a news release from the University of Minnesota. Specifically, the alloy goes from being non-magnetic to highly magnetized. The temperature only needs to be raised a small amount for this to happen.
When the warmed alloy is placed near a permanent magnet, like a rare-earth magnet, the alloy’s magnetic force increases suddenly and dramatically. This produces a current in a surrounding coil…”
Oh, Ni45Co5Mn40Sn10. Of course.
I’m going to go out on a limb and make – what I would consider to be – a somewhat ridiculous prediction: At some point this century, our highways will also be “solar panels” generating a substantial amount of electricity. Think about it.