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Apple Eyeing Heat-Electricity Conversion Chip?

The president and CEO of Eneco, a "development stage company" that claims to have developed a small chip that can convert heat into electricity, claims that he is in talks with both Apple and Dell regarding his company's technology.

First reported on an IT Week blog "Green Business News", Eneco claims that their chips can produce electricity from heat at up to 30% efficiency.

The company says it is already in talks with both Dell and Apple about how the chips could be used in their devices. Initial talks have focused on integrating the heat conversion chips into the device so it can harness the heat generated by processors and turn it into electricity to power fans or other cooling technologies. By harnessing this power the devices, be they initially laptops and handhelds, or later even servers and PCs, should see improved energy efficiency, extended battery life and enhanced performance.


There are issues with the chip, as are to be expected from a development-stage product based on a new technology. At the present time, Eneco hopes to begin production late next year or early 2008.

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68 months ago
That's actually pretty cool. And it's a good example of killing a bird with two stones. Not only does it take away the heat but it also uses the energy gained to reduce the heat remaining.

Wish my mbp cd had that in it :(
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68 months ago
Interesting concept, but their website scares me away in a hurry. What was that about making a good first impression?
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68 months ago
hmm... i wonder if they're a public company. If they can get rid of those problems, and what they're talking about actually works, then i think that company's stock will get pretty high
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68 months ago

Interesting concept, but their website scares me away in a hurry. What was that about making a good first impression?


yea, their website looks like it was from 1998...
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68 months ago

hmm... i wonder if they're a public company. If they can get rid of those problems, and what they're talking about actually works, then i think that company's stock will get pretty high


No...they're not public.
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68 months ago
I want to charge my MacBook from a campfire! Seriously, this is a very cool idea (please forgive the pun).

Brown also sees the chips ultimately replacing batteries altogether. He argues that by linking the modules to a microburner - a catalytic burner that produces between 275 and 600 degrees centigrade – you can heat the chips and generate enough power to run the device.

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68 months ago
Sounds like a good idea, can't complain with any increase to battery life!
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68 months ago
That sounds pretty cool - if it could be harnessed to charge from the heat developed by a processor, RAM, or even the battery itself... :)
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68 months ago
Wow! what a great concept.

Pretty much like some hybrid cars getting power from when they brake.
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68 months ago
Geeks rarely make purdy websites :-)

Interesting concept, but their website scares me away in a hurry. What was that about making a good first impression?

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