Patent ID: 8581088

Claim:
A thermoelectric power generation apparatus comprising: a thermoelectric device having a first surface and an opposed second surface; a first thermal energy storage unit having a solid body operatively coupled to the first surface of the thermoelectric device setting the first surface at a first temperature; a second thermal energy storage unit having a solid body and a storage unit temperature which is different from the first temperature of the first surface of the thermoelectric device; a thermally-conductive conduit extending between the second thermal energy storage unit and the second surface of the thermoelectric device; a controller programmed to sense the first temperature of the first surface and the storage unit temperature of the second thermal energy storage unit and instruct the second thermal energy storage unit to move between a coupled arrangement, in which the thermally-conductive conduit couples the second thermal energy storage unit to a second surface of the thermoelectric device and a decoupled arrangement in response to a temperature difference between the first temperature of the first surface and the storage unit temperature of the second thermal energy storage unit, wherein the second thermal energy unit sets the second surface of the thermoelectric device at a second temperature in response to a temperature difference between the first temperature and the storage unit temperature wherein the second temperature is different than the first temperature and the operative temperature; and the thermoelectric device generates power in response to a temperature differential between the first temperature of the first surface and the temperature of the second surface.