Inventor Maciej Nowak was able to generate energy from the heat of a single tea candle. He configured the system such that the candle’s heat is transformed into enough juice to power two miniature LED bulbs. Plus, these lights emit significantly more light than a candle.
A thermoelectric generator, or TEG, serves as the operation’s brain. This solid-state device generates a voltage when one side is heated and the other is kept cool. The temperature differential causes electrons to move, generating useful power with no moving parts.
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Nowak positioned the TEG so that the hot side was exposed to the candle flame via a radiator, which effectively distributed the heat. On the other side, he installed a much larger radiator to maintain a significant temperature difference, allowing the TEG to continue producing impressive power. That large cold side radiator is critical in this case because without it, the TEG would just even out in temperature and produce very little.
The electricity is routed through a small DC converter. This little gadget adjusts the voltage to a consistent 3.3 volts. That constant supply of power then powers two bespoke lamps that sit on pedestals, one on each side of the setup. Each of those bulbs contains a high-efficiency LED, which is installed on a small circuit board designed by Nowak. The object has a sleek, minimalist appearance, almost like a high-concept desk ornament rather than a garbage drawer reject.
The output isn’t exactly mind-blowing, as a single candle will provide around 1-1.4 watt-hours of power and has an efficiency of about 1%, but what is fascinating is that the candle also emits 35 watts of total heat, the majority of which goes to waste rather than being put to use. We get a nice little bonus by capturing some of the excess heat and converting it into light, and the LEDs themselves provide far more light and a whiter glow than the candle’s flame could possibly produce on its own.
Of course, the system has limitations, as TEGs conduct heat quickly, resulting in a decreasing temperature difference and decreased performance. Even if you utilized a bunch of TEGS stacked on top of each other or went with a higher-end model, the best you’d get is about 5% efficiency, which would only get you up to 2 watts. This isn’t exactly something you want to rely on for all of your power needs, but as a fun project, it could definitely find some niche applications.
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