this post was submitted on 14 Jan 2024
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[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (3 children)

What's the specific energy and power? If it isn't terrible, could be very good for things like spacecraft.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Deep space probes are already nuclear power sources.

Right now this is mostly a radio isotope heat source and a peltier device to convert the temperature differential to electricity.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah, RTDs. But I don't know if these semi conductor based ones would have better performance.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Not for space craft if what @MilderRichter says is right. To generate power from a peltier you need a temperature differential between the two sides. It is very hard to bleed off heat in space since it's a vacuum. That means a temperature differential is very difficult to achieve and it takes power to do that. Which would necessitate more of these, which means a bigger or additional heat removal system, which means you need more of these, which means a bigger or additional heat removal system, etc, etc, etc.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago

With all the CCP misinformation about them making 5nn chips, this could be another bullshit tech coming from the CCP.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

According to the article, it outputs 100 micro watts at 3 volts. Apparently for 50 years.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

So less than 150watthours over its entire lifespan?