this post was submitted on 21 May 2025
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These are just Peltier cooling mechanisms highly refined it seems. If they've increased the efficiency enough that a full-sized refrigerator can keep food cool without refrigerant or a constant electrical signal, that's huge. AFAIK Peltier coolers still need some electrical input, though minimal.
Peltier is horribly inefficient though.
Efficient enough to run a fan from the heat of my woodstove, so it's got that going for it. And there are 12V coolers people keep in their cars. How efficient does it need to be? If they've improved on standard peltier junctions, maybe it is worth it. Why so negative?
They suck and die all the time. It's a money grab upgrade like paint protection coating.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CnMRePtHMZY
These aren't the same thing as a proper Peltier mechanism as you'd expect it to be implemented with a quality build. These are cheaply built evaporative coolers, not an industrial design.
I've deployed industrial units for outdoor enclosures that run on solar with no battery in places that get up to 115F during the day and do decrease the temp of an enclosure by 15-25F. They aren't cheap, but they do work better than those shitty things referenced in your link.
That's cool. Figured there had to be an industrial option which is always costly. So as soon as cost comes down for consumer grade that'll be nice.
You don't need a peltier for that, a woodstove- stirling engine -powered fan would do just fine.