So you'd need 10,000 of them to generate 1 watt.
Sounds useless.
this post was submitted on 14 Jan 2024
12 points (70.0% liked)
Technology
72729 readers
1691 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related news or articles.
- Be excellent to each other!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
- Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.
Approved Bots
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Betavoltaics have been around for 40+ years. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betavoltaic_device
This device generates microwatts. You’d need thousands of them in parallel to power a typical mobile phone.
Meanwhile the Voyager proves launched in 1977 are still live and kicking. Yeah one of them is getting pissy at us but it's still rolling.
Vapor
What's the specific energy and power? If it isn't terrible, could be very good for things like spacecraft.
According to the article, it outputs 100 micro watts at 3 volts. Apparently for 50 years.
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.