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pornel 12 hours ago

The press release doesn't give any concrete numbers, but if it doubles efficiency of Peltier coolers, it's still 3-5× less efficient than heat pumps.

Thermoelectric cooling is notable for not having any moving parts and ability to scale down to small sizes, so it might end up having many specialized applications, but for A/C heat pumps are already very effective.

SoftTalker 11 hours ago | parent [-]

And what about service life? I had a mini-fridge that used this technology, and it stopped working after about 2 years. Was that just bad luck or poor quality, or some inherent lifetime of the components?

gpm 11 hours ago | parent | next [-]

In principle peltier elements should be very robust over time, as a solid state system where the only moving parts are fans (versus traditional refrigeration which includes a high pressure pump...).

In practice I strongly suspect most peltier based systems are built very cheaply... because their inefficiency means the majority of the market is bordering on a scam. Sophisticated consumers aren't going to be buying very many fridges built with them (of course you might have a niche use case where they actually make sense and you're willing to pay for a quality product, but do most purchasers?).

cwillu 10 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Thermal cycles is murder on rigid electronic connections; the mechanical connection between the heatsink on each side of the peltier cell being a prime example.