Use of or application with piezoelectric power?

Put simply, no (well short and simply). Put simply (and a bit longer), no because like Peltier devices, Piezo devices just cannot be scaled up to produce large amounts of power. There are additional issues of requiring far more power to extract the materials and produce the piezo element than would ever be able to be recovered. A case of another cool looking invention that has its limitations.

As for ocean pressure change, no again. Piezo devices require a constantly changing pressure to produce the voltage (you cannot just put a piezo device under a constant or even slow changing pressure and expect it to pump out watts).

Piezo power generating devices still have applications as micro power sources for small devices where it is inconvenient or difficult to power using existing methods such as fixed wiring, battery, solar, etc.

Hi & thanks Jack of all... Yet another example of if you don't ask, who knows. As you were the first to respond, and as I am sure you are aware, there may be differing opinions out there. Isn't that that makes the question worth asking? Like I said before " Questions are the lubrication of one's mind". Thanks for the responce. The Ashman hears! Are fish ugly and stupid?

Hey Ashman,

Ocean Power Technologies patented and tested a piezo wave motion converter. They moved on to other devices after the poor power factors were revealed.

John

Neat idea, and as noted...tried before, but thank for the lube Ash...

Jack raised what I feel is the most impressive (and usually missed) point. The time / energy / cost resources to build a device as mentioned would never be outweighed by performance. Many people miss this in their quest for success (just to bring a dream to reality).

I guarantee your idea could be pulled off, but should it be is the question.

P.S. Fish are ugly as hell...and most are pretty stupid. Bon a petit!

Hello everyone. Yes it is really food for thought. I shall share one thought that several years disturbed me. Suppose we have many thermo couples that are connected in parallel to increase voltage and parallel to increase current; then we have an electrical power generator that works using ambient temparature. In Hyderabad we are struggling to live at 45' C ambient, which should be very helpful for such free power generation. I have worked on many small things to make energy machines from age 7 years until I first came across Newtons laws while I was 13 year old. Newtons law do not come in my way of generating electricty using thermo couples. Piezoelectric components, I think are very costly?

kvsubramanyam ,

Temperature operated devices like thermocouples need a differential (hot and cool sides). Best bet is Solar and Wind. Solar Turbines are being explored, but the structure poses a problem. They need to be tall to generate enough updraft to turn a turbine (think of an upside-down hydro-electric plant!). However, I have been next to an opening in a large smoke stack and I was impressed at how much updraft was flowing on an ordinary day.

Thanks for your comment. Take two wires one Crome the other Alumel, twist ends, cut tip so that just one or half twist only left over, burn the tip on gas burner, now the TC is formed. An analog milli volt meter will deflect when connected at the ends; what ever temparature is present around it. Now imagine heat a little bit the voltage will increase. Here point is an analog meter unlike digital meter consumes some power to show voltage. Thermopile in radiation type pyrometers is made of many tiny TCs. Now we will have to work that how much or how many TC material is reuired to generate 1 watt of power. Your thinking of using natural upward draft to rotate a tubine is good. It gave me some food for thought. In India it is very hot at many places. So as the Sun starts to raise due to heat lot air will get hot and go up, and in the night the same air should come down also. am I correct? Suppose if I can make big baloon that is heated up using Sun heat it will go up giving away some energy and in the night it will cool down and come down again giving away some energy; Is it a good idea?