Alternative energy

Things to consider when looking into alternative energy. What you will need:


 * 1) Source of power, either photovoltaic or wind or water.
 * 2) Charge controller for PV or wind. They are not the same!
 * 3) Battery to store power for later use.

Wind Power
How many volts does it take to charge a 12vdc battery?


 * 1) The supply voltage for a 12V battery bank is about 16V. This allows charging lead acid to 14.40V (6 x 2.40V/cell) and Li-ion to 12.60 (3 x 4.20V/cell). There are also different charge controllers for different battery types. http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_with_solar_and_turbine
 * 2) An advanced charge controller tracks power by measuring the voltage and adjusting the current to get maximum power transfer with prevailing light conditions. Get a controller with MPPT to make the most of lower power conditions.

The battery

 * 1) About batteries.

Convert heat directly to electricity

 * 1) PESWiki: Eneco power chip. ## On Jan. 11, 2008, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
 * 2) As of long before July, 2013, the successor company, MicroPower Global, has been thriving through their partnership with Texas State University.
 * 3) Eneco group website
 * 4) Micro-power Global, owner of the intellectual property.
 * 5) 2007: Solid state device converts heat to energy
 * 6) 2009-11: MIT news.
 * 7) 2013-06: New chip converts heat to energy. This article says it generates power using a heat differential, which is how a peltier module works.
 * 8) DDG Search.

Possibly a different process

 * 1) 2012-09: Material best at converting heat to power. ScienceDaily.
 * 2) 2012-09: Material converts heat to electricity. Tech Journal. Material made from lead telluride, dosed with sodium, and shoved into strontium telluride. At Northwestern Univ in Evanston, Illinois.
 * 3) 2012-11: New material converts heat to power, and is made from dirt. (Wow, an oversimplification doesn't get more disingenuous than that!) Morelli Research Group: https://www.egr.msu.edu/morelli-research/members.html, for more info, a search for: https://www.qwant.com/?q=Michigan%20state%20Centre%20for%20Revolutionary%20Materials%20for%20Solid%20State%20Energy%20Conversion%20Morelli&t=web
 * 4) Donald Morelli, a professor of chemical engineering and materials science at Michigan State University, led the team which developed the material based on natural minerals known as tetrahedrites. 'What we've managed to do is synthesize some compounds that have the same composition as natural minerals,' said Professor Morelli, director of MSU's Centre for Revolutionary Materials for Solid State Energy Conversion. 'The mineral family that they mimic is one of the most abundant minerals of this type on Earth – tetrahedrites. By modifying its composition in a very small way, we produced highly efficient thermoelectric materials.'