MTPV makes juice from heat

You've heard of solar photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight into electricity. Start-up MTPV, which was spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is seeking to commercialize a technology for converting heat into electricity. The idea is to use waste heat from industrial processes, such as making glass or steel, to make electricity, according to company executives.

Pictured here is a prototype thermophotovoltaic system that uses a chip sandwiched with a traditional solar cell. Heat makes one layer "glow" electromagnetic energy that is then converted into electricity using a photovoltaic cell, according to the company.

March 4, 2010 11:15 AM PST

Photo by: Martin LaMonica/CNET

| Caption by: Martin LaMonica