First off let me say I know this is not a new idea. Hoping to hear your opinions about what works and doesn't work.
I started thinking about how ships work. On ships, especially the big ones, the ship's engines are the powerplant for all other internal systems. They run HVAC, they run
hot water, they run all the electrical and mechanical systems.
I then thought about how much of our electricity goes to produce heat, which is an inefficient way to produce heat, generally.
Definitely interested in the electricity-generation idea, but then the cold side of the TEG's need cooling, and use of
water blocks is one of the better ways to achieve this.
So I'm thinking a pipeline that looks like this:
wood/trash->
rocket stove->bell->
1) attached to bell, TEG modules -> water blocks -> home
hot water system (with safety valves, mixers, etc) produces hot water and 100-200W/h e/c per day
2) flue output from bell, to thermal mass for long-term heating
3) bell top used for stovetop and to set an oven-box when needed
this is the inside-the-house pipeline for during late fall through early spring. an outside unit with a different design would probably make more sense for the summer.
that's plenty of power to run some basic electronics and
led lighting, but not things like a fridge i figure. so this would need a few
solar panels to supplement, probably.
thoughts? cautionary tales?
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