"TEG Power" 12 volt Thermoelectric Battery Charger--Any good?

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  • marsofold
    marsofold Solar Expert Posts: 45 ✭✭
    #32
    http://www.devilwatt.com/products/27-devil-watt-100-watt-wood-burning-stove-water-cooled-thermoelectric-generator

    The 100 watt module from the same company. Could see feeding a dozen of these series-paralleled into an MPPT charge controller...
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  • Johann
    Johann Solar Expert Posts: 245 ✭✭✭
    #33
    paulstamser said:
    Does anyone have any knowledge, opinions or experience with this particular unit and/or the concept behind it in general?

    http://www.tegpower.com/pro8.htm

    The item is a "TEG Power" 12 volt (15 watts) thermoelectric generator that retails at $289.99. It operates by sitting on top of a woodstove and converts heat into electricity that can charge a 12 volt battery.

    The TEG Power company is based in Morgantown, WV, and looks to be a small but ambitious outfit with good ideas. But how practical is their product and how well does it deliver?

    For years I've thought that a generator of this type would be the perfect thing for a small off-grid 12 volt PV/battery homepower system like mine. This time of year of short days and lots of clouds and overcast weather in Northern Wisconsin provides very little PV electric power generation and I am forced to run a gasoline-powered generator. But at the same time my woodstove is fired up and hot 24/7. A near continuous 15 watts would help my battery bank alot when my PV array is putting out almost nothing.

    Heck, we're even talking about the charging the battery at night!

    A Google search doesn't turn much up about this unit or the TEG Power company in general. One party in Alaska had trouble getting the product delivered and after much delay got a refund. That does not sound very encouraging. Nor does there seem to be anything else like this on the market. Gotta wonder there too. Because a 12 volt thermoelectric generator working off a woodstove seems to be an ideal thing for a small off-grid PV system like mine and I can't be the only one also heating with wood.

    You people know a lot more tech stuff than I do so any comments or information would be much appreciated. I'm ready to buy one of these units as $289.99 plus shipping is reasonable, but I don't want to be ripped off or vastly disappointed either. Please help.

    Thanks!
    Herb
    The higher the heat differential is the more power you get out of it, You do not run your wood stove with full power/burn every day because it depends on outside temperatures.
    So you still may run into cloudy days when the temperature is relatively warm and you do not need to fire the wood stove up or only need very little fire. In my experience, cloudy days usually  keep the temperatures warmer.

    Take your $289 and buy more mono panels and you will get your 10 -15 watts of pv power for that price in cloudy dark days.
    I have mono panels and in cloudy dark days I get about 10% of power out of them. 
    Not much power in cloudy dark days, but better than nothing. But if you have snow, than that may not be the perfect solution either.

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  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,925 ✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2016 #34
    Johann said:
    paulstamser said:
    Does anyone have any knowledge, opinions or experience with this particular unit and/or the concept behind it in general?

    http://www.tegpower.com/pro8.htm

    The item is a "TEG Power" 12 volt (15 watts) thermoelectric generator that retails at $289.99. It operates by sitting on top of a woodstove and converts heat into electricity that can charge a 12 volt battery.

    The TEG Power company is based in Morgantown, WV, and looks to be a small but ambitious outfit with good ideas. But how practical is their product and how well does it deliver?

    For years I've thought that a generator of this type would be the perfect thing for a small off-grid 12 volt PV/battery homepower system like mine. This time of year of short days and lots of clouds and overcast weather in Northern Wisconsin provides very little PV electric power generation and I am forced to run a gasoline-powered generator. But at the same time my woodstove is fired up and hot 24/7. A near continuous 15 watts would help my battery bank alot when my PV array is putting out almost nothing.

    Heck, we're even talking about the charging the battery at night!

    A Google search doesn't turn much up about this unit or the TEG Power company in general. One party in Alaska had trouble getting the product delivered and after much delay got a refund. That does not sound very encouraging. Nor does there seem to be anything else like this on the market. Gotta wonder there too. Because a 12 volt thermoelectric generator working off a woodstove seems to be an ideal thing for a small off-grid PV system like mine and I can't be the only one also heating with wood.

    You people know a lot more tech stuff than I do so any comments or information would be much appreciated. I'm ready to buy one of these units as $289.99 plus shipping is reasonable, but I don't want to be ripped off or vastly disappointed either. Please help.

    Thanks!
    Herb
    The higher the heat differential is the more power you get out of it, You do not run your wood stove with full power/burn every day because it depends on outside temperatures.
    So you still may run into cloudy days when the temperature is relatively warm and you do not need to fire the wood stove up or only need very little fire. In my experience, cloudy days usually  keep the temperatures warmer.

    Take your $289 and buy more mono panels and you will get your 10 -15 watts of pv power for that price in cloudy dark days.
    I have mono panels and in cloudy dark days I get about 10% of power out of them. 
    Not much power in cloudy dark days, but better than nothing. But if you have snow, than that may not be the perfect solution either.

    Clouds are a blanket of insulation that traps heat in the earth. Yes....they help keep us warm to a degree. Clear nights are cold nights.

    Yet bright sunny days allow for the opposite as we all know.

    This is why deserts have cold nights (no clouds) and hot days (no clouds).

    Clouds are necessary for many reasons. Now what in blazes is the infernal wind good for? It was 45 mph much of today....ech.

    As for the product in this thread? I doubt it puts out much at all. Better off capturing the methane gas in your farts.
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
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