Converting Radiant Heat to Power.

Picture a small propane burner coupled with a radiator and an array of semiconductor devices. There are no moving parts, no noise, easy maintenance, reduced air pollution, and no battery disposal worries. There is just a steady flow of electricity to power navigation and communications equipment on a sailboat, appliances in a remote cabin, or electronic equipment for military ground troops.

Just as solar converters turn visible light into electricity, thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices produce electric power from infrared radiant heat, explains Ronald J. Gutmann, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.

The first TPV device was marketed in 1998 as a power source for equipment on sailboats. Furnaces have been designed to power blowers and other electrical equipment with TPV units, eliminating the need for expensive wiring. The technology also has major economic potential for recovering any waste industrial heat and recycling it into energy. In addition, it is being considered as a means of...