Breakthrough in Performance

The MicroPower breakthrough dramatically sets it apart from competing technologies by delivering:

• Energy and power conversion three to four times more efficient than current alternatives;

• Products three to four times cheaper on a cost per watt basis than current alternatives.

MicroPower Chips are projected to achieve 20-30% absolute efficiencies, and the target cost is $1 per watt for volume production in due course. This is much more competitive than conventional thermoelectrics, thermionics, solar or fuel cells. This dramatic breakthrough exceeds the performance thresholds required to open a host of fresh new markets not previously considered viable, as well as expanding the existing thermoelectric market.

As if often the case with the introduction of new technology, the first products will not achieve the ultimate performance goals, and second and third generation products will be even more competitive. Nevertheless, MicroPower considers that there will be substantial demand for the early products as performance and price will be far better than the alternatives.

Several other important benefits inherent in MicroPower technology require explanation:

• Greater power and energy density per unit area, unit weight, or unit volume than alternative products.

This means that the Chips are extremely light and take up a minute space for the amount of power they can deliver. Power density is a critical factor in the design and manufacture of products, and is particularly useful for aerospace applications and compact power for portable applications.

• Configuration flexibility that can scale from small to very large.

A MicroPower application can consist of a single square millimetre MicroPower Chip to an array of hundreds or thousands of MicroPower Chips covering many square meters, depending on the amount of power required. The array of MicroPower Chips can also be made to cover the unique geometry of the heat source, a feature that is particularly important in the conversion of waste heat to electricity.

• Efficiency is high, constant and independent of scale.

It is standard for energy technologies to operate at maximum efficiency only if they are built at the perfect size to achieve their optimal operating point. MicroPower Chips, on the other hand, operate at maximum efficiency dependent only on temperature, whether serving a laptop or a power generation plant.

• A very long projected service life with low or no maintenance.

MicroPower technology is solid-state meaning it is one solid module without moving components that silently generates electricity without deterioration or causing electrical interference.

• Environmentally friendly.

Once a MicroPower Chip is manufactured and installed into an application, it generates electricity or refrigerates without generating any emissions or using any harmful chemicals or gases.