TEGnology ApS
Alfa Laval Innovation House
Maskinvej 5
2860 Søborg
Denmark
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26 September 2024
Restructuring the EU Value Chain on Thermoelectrics
This month we were thrilled to host an outstanding group of researchers and industry stakeholders in thermoelectrics for a full-day workshop at the Clarion hotel in Copenhagen. The day was filled with many excellent talks on cutting-edge developments in thermoelectric technologies by experts from around the world, and many fruitful discussions were had on shaping the future of the thermoelectrics and bringing cutting-edge energy harvesting solutions to a variety of application spaces.
The conference kicked off with opening speeches by Adel El Gammal from the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), Takao Mori from Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science, and Maarten der Heijer from RGS in the Netherlands, who provided a comprehensive review of the thermoelectric landscape in the European Union and beyond. This was followed by a global overview of thermoelectric applications, featuring Doug Crane from DTP Thermoelectrics (USA), Martin Kober from the German Space Center, and SuDong Park from the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute. Each shared insights into thermoelectric applications in their respective regions – from smaller scale use cases like integrating TEGs into vehicles to larger scale visions of thermoelectric incinerators and power plants.
The morning sessions further highlighted successful industrial applications, with speakers such as Ernst Bauer from the Vienna University of Technology and Nils Katenbrink from Quick Ohm, who spoke about advancements in assembling thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and qualifying smaller-scale production processes for mass production. Juyoung Lee from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) presented on South Korea’s thermoelectric power generation demonstration project, and Dan Wärja from Wideco discussed the use of thermoelectric power for wireless IoT applications featuring TEGnology’s exciting new product, the Alfa-W. The session concluded with a presentation by Vicent Pacheco from Fraunhofer IFAM further elaborating on the current status of the supply chain of thermoelectrics.
After a networking lunch, the day continued on with talks from leaders of three exciting projects TEGnology is partnered with. Filipe Neves from LNEG in Portugal introduced the START project, which aims to create tellirum-free TEGs through innovative mine waste recycling. Kornelius Nielsch from IFW Dresden then presented the THERMOS Project, which also aims to develop methods for manufacturing more sustainable tellurium-free TEGs . Zachary Davis from the Danish Technological Institute elaborated on the FLEX-TEG project and the future of large-scale TEGs. This session concluded with an engaging discussion on the implications of these projects for the European thermoelectric value chain.
In the afternoon, attendees split into three break-out sessions focusing on more specific topics: excessive heat recovery, decentralized power supply, and supply chain challenges in thermoelectrics. Topics on the production side of the discussion included innovative new methods for large-scale manufacturing of thermoelectric materials such as multi-wire sawing technology and powder metallurgy, while the more application-focused talks included an exciting research mission to establish geothermal TEGs in Antarctica and a cross-over use of thermoelectrics together with solar cells for heat recovery. These smaller sessions allowed for in-depth discussions and fostered collaboration on common challenges such as improving manufacturing processes, scaling up production, and creating efficient energy recovery systems.
The event concluded with a networking break, giving participants the opportunity to discuss collaboration opportunities, exchange ideas, and form potential partnerships. Hao Yin from TEGnology wrapped up the conference with a summary of key takeaways and an outlook on the future of thermoelectric technologies in Europe and beyond.
Hosting this workshop underscored the importance of international collaboration and marked a significant milestone in TEGnology’s mission to optimize energy efficiency using thermal energy harvesting. We are grateful to everyone who attended and contributed to making this event possible, and excited to be part of the journey toward a more resilient and sustainable thermoelectric value chain!
