Image credit – Raman Et Al.
These days there is a greater emphasis than ever on looking for renewable sources of energy. This is because our natural resources are finite and eventually, we will run out of more traditional forms of energy. This is why many companies are turning to the use of solar, wind, and hydro forms of renewable energy.
However, besides those, what else could be used? Turns out that the coldness of outer space could potentially act as a form of renewable energy as well. In fact, in a paper published on Thursday, scientists at UCLA have actually managed to harness the cold of outer space using just a $30 device, where they managed to draw enough power to power up an LED bulb.
While this is a far cry from being able to power entire cities, homes, or server farms, it does show the potential of it. The device in question is based off a thermoelectric generator that can generate electricity from the difference in temperature from a “hot side” and a “cold side”, where one side is aimed at the ground and the other side is aimed towards the sky.
This is not a new discovery and is known as radiative cooling, but according to one of the researchers Aaswath Raman, “This is honestly an experiment a high school student could do, and probably will do at some point. The simplicity is what makes it compelling.” However, Raman notes, “The big caveat with this work that I’d like to state upfront…is that the amount of power we’re generating is very small.”