Research project on the effective use of untapped thermal energy from garbage incineration etc

The objective of this project is to develop thermoelectric generation systems that convert the untapped energy from such close-at-hand sources as garbage incineration heat, industrial exhaust, etc. into electricity. The project began in December 1995, supported by the Science and Technology Agency of the Japanese government. Four electric power generation systems have been under trial production and evaluation as to their reliability and advantages. Two of these (500 W-class power generation systems) were linked to a conventional garbage incineration plant with a capacity of 80 tons/day. Another system was tested in conjunction with a gas co-generator. A fourth system, for solar thermal energy, was combined with a photovoltaic cell.