US startup begins producing 40%-efficient thermophotovoltaic cells

Re:US startup begins producing 40%-efficient thermophotovolt... by throwaway20304 on Thursday October 05, 2023 @05:13AM (#37776442)

I still don't quite understand it. Where does the battery get the energy? I understand that there's no difference in a circuit, but why is this comparison relevant? Many power sources are way less efficient that using a battery, but we need to charge the battery.

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Re:US startup begins producing 40%-efficient thermophotovolt... by tbihl on Thursday October 05, 2023 @06:52AM (#37776998)

For low-enough-power applications and sufficiently long-lasting batteries, charging is just another step in production.

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Re:US startup begins producing 40%-efficient thermophotovolt... by fsh on Thursday October 05, 2023 @07:46AM (#37777372)

Betavotaic generators usually produce extremely low power. A similarly sized battery can last for decades at the same power output.

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Re:US startup begins producing 40%-efficient thermophotovolt... by regularfry on Thursday October 05, 2023 @11:44AM (#37780089)

Alkaline batteries are never charged, per se. The energy comes from the one-way chemical breakdown of cathode and the anode.

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