Research conducted by Huazhong University of Science and Technology has shown that thermogalvanic technology has promising potential as a cooling mechanism and could be a sustainable alternative to the vapour compression technology now used in most fridges.
New technology could make fridges cheaper and more eco-friendly Using thermogalvanic technology as cooling mechanism may significantly reduce power usage, research says.
Fifty per cent of UK food refrigeration emissions are from electrical power, with 37% of UK food refrigeration electrical emissions from domestic refrigerators, according to a study published by the International Journal of Refrigeration.
“Thermogalvanic cooling with a potential low carbon footprint is an environment-friendly technology, which will promote carbon neutrality if their usage became widespread,” said the study’s senior author Jiangjiang Duan.
“Thermogalvanic technology is on its way to our lives, either in the form of clean electricity or low-power cooling, and both research and commercial communities should be paying attention,” said Duan.
