Power generation from waste heat of vehicle exhaust using thermo electric generator: A review

The internal combustion engines used in cars have maximum 25%-30% efficiency and rest of the heat energy burned in combustion chamber goes into the exhaust and then to the atmosphere. This led to the increase in harmful gases emission and increase in global warming and environmental problems. This has led to put efforts on improving the efficiency of any industrial process being a priority. In order to use the waste heat of car's exhaust thermoelectric generators are first priority. It is a solid state device which converts the heat energy available in car's exhaust into electrical energy which is then used to increase the performance of a car. The efficiency of a TEG is 4-5% which is quite low but it is not a big issue because this technology uses free heat; heat energy of no cost as an input and due to the benefits of TEG's it has become a promising alternative green technology. The installation position and thermoelectric materials plays a vital role in improving the efficiency.