A team of physicists at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) are proposing a device that would capture and harvest energy from the Earth’s infrared emissions to outer space. The device would be similar to a photovoltaic solar panel, but would generate electric power by releasing infrared light instead of capturing visible light.
The team researched two different methods of emissive energy harvesters, one equivalent to a solar thermal power generator and the other similar to a photovoltaic cell, except they would run in reverse. The heat imbalance between the Earth and outer space could be transformed into DC power with one of these methods of energy harvesting.
Read more about how the Earths’ infrared emissions could become a viable energy source.
