Until now : a new thermoelectric material might finally let us recover the energy lost to waste heat-at a reasonable price .
现在有转机:有种新型的热电材料,也许最终能让我们回收丢失的废热--而且价格合理。
If such heaters were covered with thermoelectric generators the sun 's rays could be put to sequential use .
如果这样的热水器配上热电发动机,那么太阳光就可以被连续使用。
To be thermoelectric , a substance must let electrons flow through it while blocking the movement of heat .
热电材料必须既能让电子通过,又能阻止热能流动。
The two-year solar soldier project aims to produce a power pack where energy is gathered from a combination of solar cells and thermoelectric devices before it is stored for later use .
The chip could also use thermoelectric materials , which produce an electric current when exposed to two different temperatures-such as body heat and the ( usually ) cooler air around us .
Then , the exhaust heat from the bottom plate of the thermoelectric device would be used in the traditional way to warm water up .
其次,从热电设备中位于底部的薄片中出来的排气可以用于传统方式来加热水。
Materials scientists have long known that in order to improve the performance of a thermoelectric material they must inhibit its thermal conductivity .
材料科学家早就知道,为了提高热电材料的性能,他们必须抑制其热导率。
They suggest that a phenomenon called the thermoelectric effect might be used instead-and they have built a prototype to show that the idea is practical .
他们提出可以利用一种名为热电效应的现象而且还建立了一个模型来证明这个想法的可行性。
If such heaters were covered with thermoelectric generators the sun 's rays could be put to sequential use . First , electric power would be extracted from them .
如果这种加热器都安装上能付诸连续使用太阳光热电发电机,那么首先,电能能够从中提取。
The reason thermoelectric materials have not , in the past , been applied successfully to the question of solar power is that to get a worthwhile current you have to have a significant temperature difference .