Prasad:
The concept
The idea of using electricity to cook food the way a regular flame producing stove does is nothing new and microwaves and induction cookers have been invented and developed using the same principles to simplify our lives and free us of the burden of burning wood, oil and natural gas to cook food. But these days, a new trend in energy generating has emerged that reverses this very idea and uses wood burning to create electricity for portable devices. Though most power companies still burn coal, wood and other fossil fuels to generate electricity for the grid, the same principle of thermoelectricity generation has never been applied on such a small scale before and can prove to be quite the game changer for portable devices being used away from grid power that cannot be recharged without an electrical outlet connected to a PV panel or another portable charger that harnesses the elements.
Inspiration
The need for portable chargers to power and recharge portable electronics like cellphone, laptops and at times even television sets and cooking units has so far been fulfilled only by gas/diesel fed small electricity generators that can be carried anywhere a vehicle can go. However, for campers and people traveling or living in places inaccessible by vehicles, carrying additional batteries or a portable solar/wind charger has been the only way to keep their electronics powered. However, a few innovators have been experimenting with chargers that can produce electricity by burning wood which can be a great means of charging cellphones and other devices in case of an emergency or in place where accessing grid power is not possible.
Eco Credentials
Global warming and production of greenhouse emissions is one of the major concerns for any form of electricity production that requires the burning of wood or any other flammable material. However, thermoelectric chargers that use wood burning as its primary source of energy generation, when used only in emergencies, can be a great, affordable and portable solution to the problem of electronics with dead batteries. Since most of the existing designs are created to be smoke and emission free, they can be safely used by people living in areas with no access to grid power and to campers, hikers and other outdoorsmen who depend on their gadgets for navigation and communication in the wild.
Feasibility
Most places on the face of the earth where a person with a cellphone that needs charging can go are bound to have some natural materials that can be burned to generate sufficient electricity using these thermoelectric chargers. Though the existing thermoelectric chargers specify wood chips as their fuel of preference, they can be powered by flames generated by any flammable material which can include dry grass, dung cakes, natural fibers of any kind, and in extreme emergencies (like when you're marooned on a life raft in the middle of the ocean) even clothing, rubber and plastic.
Related Trends
1. BioLite Stove
Winner of the 2010 Sustainable Brands Innovation Open award and the St. Andrews Prize for the Environment, BioLite is a stove cum charger that can be used to power a cellphone or a LED light while proving people with an efficient and eco friendly wood burning stove that can be used to cook food as well. Designed to reduce smoke emissions from wood burning by as much as 95 percent, the BioLite Stove and BioLite CampStove model apparently require half the amount of wood as an open fire which make them cleaner and greener home cooking and camp stove options as well.
2. Candle powered USB Charger
Created by the good folks over at candlegenerator.com and marketed by TEG Power, the Candle Powered USB Charger is a thermoelectric charger with a difference. Though the current trend in the TEC segment is focused on bundling the chargers with stoves and marketing these devices as products that can be used over an open flame, the Candle Powered USB Charger creates electricity through a candle that can be used inside a tent or indoors without posing a fire hazard.
The Candle Powered USB Charger is also made more effective than open flame or stove based TECs by the fact that a candle can be used for illumination for longer periods of time and even carried along when traveling on foot during the night to preserve flashlights which gives this design a distinct edge over the stove based TECs. The Candle Powered USB Charger can provide 30 minutes of charge time for a standard cell phone using a single candle with power being regulated via a standard USB terminal into a 5VDC or ~100mA output.
3. Thermoelectric Charger Boots
Debuted at the Glastonbury Festival, Orange Power Wellies are the latest in eco friendly mobile phone charging technology that are truly alternative as well as sustainable. Though the charger works on the same principles as a wood burning thermoelectric charger, it doesn't really need user to start a fire to be able to produce electricity. Instead, it can use the rising natural heat of the wearer's feet to produce and electric charge as they walk or dance or run or hop along. The Orange Power Wellies use a process known as the 'Seebeck' effect that forces the power generating sole of the boot to sense the difference between the temperatures of the user's feet and that of the cold ground and convert the excess heat directly into electricity.
Renewable energy experts GotWind collaborated with European Telco Orange to create the human powered TEC that can infuse an hour of battery life into your phone (depending on the power needs and efficiency) if your tread in the boots for 12 hours. Of course it would take you a lot less time to generate the desired amount of power if you can get the temperature of your feet up more quickly by running or jumping or dancing or even more simply, toasting your feet up in front of a fire and then wearing the boots!
4. Hatsuden-Nabe TES NewEnergy Charger
Most of us tend to think of Japanese inventions as gimmicky and though a large part of what comes out Japan is actually just that, there are a few novel innovations that really make a strong case for Japanese ingenuity. This thermoelectric charger called Hatsuden-Nabe was launched as a novel gift idea for hikers and campers who could recharge their devices using the heat wasted during cooking on an open flame. The device is now marketed and sold internationally as the Hatsuden-Nabe TES NewEnergy Charger.
The gadget can be used over an open flame with ease since it can withstand 900 °F and juice up an iPhone fully in 3 to 5 hours which means that it would take mere minutes to power your phone just about enough for you to make or receive an emergency call. Depending on the heat intensity, the charger can convert heat energy to electricity efficiently and can power up your phone is pretty much the same amount of time as the device would take on an outlet connected to the grid. For now the product is priced at $280 though it may just be sold for a lot less than that once it gains popularity
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