page_title: Radioisotope thermoelectric generator
section_title: Safety
hierarchical_section_title: Radioisotope thermoelectric generator / Safety
context_page_description: A radioisotope thermoelectric generator is a type of nuclear battery that uses an array of thermocouples to convert the heat released by the decay of a suitable radioactive material into electricity by the Seebeck effect. This type of generator has no moving parts.
  RTGs have been used as power sources in satellites, space probes, and uncrewed remote facilities such as a series of lighthouses built by the former Soviet Union inside the Arctic Circle. RTGs are usually the most desirable power source for unmaintained situations that need a few hundred watts of power for durations too long for fuel cells, batteries, or generators to provide economically, and in places where solar cells are not practical. Safe use of RTGs requires containment of the radioisotopes long after the productive life of the unit. The expense of RTGs tend to limit their use to niche applications in rare or special situations.
caption: Diagram of a stack of general purpose heat source modules as used in RTGs
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