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A Thermoelectric generator, or TEG (also called a Seebeck generator) is a solid state device that converts heat (temperature differences) directly into electrical energy through a phenomenon called the Seebeck effect (a form of thermoelectric effect). Thermoelectric generators function like heat engines, but are less bulky and have no moving parts. However, TEGs are typically more expensive and less efficient. Thermoelectric generators could be used in power plants in order to convert waste heat into additional electrical power and in automobiles as automotive thermoelectric generators (ATGs) to increase fuel efficiency. Another application is radioisotope thermoelectric generators which are used in space probes, which has the same mechanism but use radioisotopes to generate the required heat difference.〔 ==History== In 1821, Thomas Johann Seebeck discovered that a thermal gradient formed between two dissimilar conductors can produce electricity.〔See: * Seebeck, T. J. (1825) "Magnetische Polarisation der Metalle und Erze durch Temperatur-Differenz" (Magnetic polarization of metals and minerals by temperature differences), ''Abhandlungen der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin'' (Treatises of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Berlin), pp. 265-373. * Seebeck (1826) "Ueber die Magnetische Polarisation der Metalle und Erze durch Temperatur-Differenz,"] (On the magnetic polarization of metals and minerals by temperature differences), ''Annalen der Physik und Chemie'', 6 : 1-20, 133-160, 253-286.〕 At the heart of the thermoelectric effect is the fact that a temperature gradient in a conducting material results in heat flow; this results in the diffusion of charge carriers. The flow of charge carriers between the hot and cold regions in turn creates a voltage difference. In 1834, Jean Charles Athanase Peltier discovered the reverse effect, that running an electric current through the junction of two dissimilar conductors could, depending on the direction of the current, cause it to act as a heater or cooler.〔Peltier (1834) "Nouvelles expériences sur la caloricité des courants électrique" (New experiments on the heat effects of electric currents), ''Annales de Chimie et de Physique'', 56 : 371-386.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Thermoelectric generator」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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