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Samsung and US researchers say a new technology called thermoelectric cooling can make refrigerators 70% more energy efficient, & could enable them to power themselves from their ambient environment (www.eenewseurope.com)

submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I'm calling bullshit. There's no way a Peltier element can exceed the coefficient of performance of the refrigeration cycle, at an affordable price, without turning the room into a hothouse.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I’m calling bullshit.

Their findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal, Nature.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59698-y

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I'm not questioning the findings. I'm questioning the article, and your interpretation to arrive at such a summary.

APL plans to continue to partner with organizations to refine the CHESS thermoelectric materials with a focus on boosting efficiency to approach that of conventional mechanical systems

energy-harvesting technologies for applications ranging from computers to spacecraft

70% improvement in efficiency in a fully integrated refrigeration system.

It's all potential, and possibilities, and future projections. I'm sure someone will find real world applications for it, but a fridge tacked out with Peltier tiles that draws energy from its ambient environment (while actively ruining the thermal gradient by the way) is ludicrous.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Umm, a typical refrigerator cranks out a lot of heat. Why would would this be less efficient than that?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Check the efficiency of heat pumps.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

Read the paper, it's linked below. This is solid state, there's no refrigerant. Heat pumps are efficient, and this IS a heat pump, which is far more efficient than the old school heat pump that uses a 'refrigeration cycle'. I'm with you on being skeptical, and it may be a long time from 'discovery' to production of a saleable device, but this IS a legit significant breakthrough.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

Modern refrigerators only generate heat through the capture by refrigerant inside and the pump circulating air. Without those, it's a different story. A Peltier cooling device works similarly, but I can see it being more efficient overall since you would know where the heat ends up. Think car radiator or CPU heatsink. Same basic concept.