Lightcell Energy

[EEVblog]

Someone just copied me in on X about Lightcell, a startup that generates power from flame light sources.
i.e. burn fuel to generate light to power a high efficiency matched solar cell.
https://lightcellenergy.com/
They are hiring:
https://x.com/lightcellenergy/status/1819531054501581007

Off the bat without thinking about it, cool, but I don't see how this scales. And what's the true end-end efficiency?

The founder talking about it (I haven't watched it)

[SiliconWizard]

This one triggers nothing else than a "LMAO".

[EEVblog]

Looks like she's had several sucks of sav at the the energy market:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Fong
Was LightSail energy, then LightStore energy, now Lightcell energy?
https://daniellefong.com/

[Haenk]

i.e. burn fuel to generate light to power a high efficiency matched solar cell.

Once there was a time, when people used sperm oil to light(*) their houses. So let's just go whale hunting again to power our electrical shavers!

(*) very lightly light

[SiliconWizard]

I think we should make car engines which burn gas to generate light, harvest energy via PV cells and power electric motors.

[Nominal Animal]

"Charge your cell phone while you're lighting forest fires!"

[lwatts666]

I think we should make car engines which burn gas to generate light, harvest energy via PV cells and power electric motors.

Not 'Green' enough for marketing. Use solar PV cells to generate electricity to split water to get green hydrogen to run your engine to turn a generator to light high efficiency LED lamps to illuminate PV cells to generate the electric power to run the electric motor. The exhaust from the hydrogen engine is then condensed back to water to feed the electrolysis stage. A true zero emissions system.

[Nominal Animal]

Kidding aside, flame source heat engines work actually pretty well, as the temperature difference is high enough.  TEGs are very inefficient (and easily burned out by overtemperatures), but rocket stove with a heat engine (Carnot cycle or similar) might be viable.  Not only do they use very little fuel, but they burn quite clean.  Might even be viable for rural areas in developing countries, since you can cook on it and charge your devices.

Of course, that is not flame-source photocell tech.

[Xena E]

Kidding aside, flame source heat engines work actually pretty well, as the temperature difference is high enough.  TEGs are very inefficient (and easily burned out by overtemperatures), but rocket stove with a heat engine (Carnot cycle or similar) might be viable.  Not only do they use very little fuel, but they burn quite clean.  Might even be viable for rural areas in developing countries, since you can cook on it and charge your devices.

Of course, that is not flame-source photocell tech.

Sorry, the following is OT.
I was amongst a group shown a demonstration of a wood stove CHP unit that had four "Linear Stirling engine/generator" units and also had a flue boiler for water heating.

The creator was looking for a second industry partner to provide a suitable power management and storage scheme for the electrical side.

The hot side of the 'engines' are in the flame path of the fire box.

The heated water was passed through a traditional HW tank, then two domestic 'radiators', when cooled its routed back to the 'cold' side of the heat engines, before returning to the stoves boiler, for reheat.

The 'secret sauce' of course being the design of the power units.

The creator made no extravagant overunity type claims, saying that the modified nominal 5 to 6kw unit had reliably produced an average @600W of electricity, and the rest as hot water, depending on the optimum operating conditions and quality of fuel.

The claim was that running this size of the CHP unit continuously, it could theoretically provide hot water, heating, and electricity aplenty for a small home, in a typical UK winter.

The down side of course is the tending, cleaning and maintenance of the burner, and also a small amount of noise when running.

There is then the problem of having to justify the release of CO² in its operation... not so much if it is used to replace other older, less efficient class 1 heating systems, but I bet even if the creator succeeded in his project the climate change lobby would rightly or wrongly piss all over the idea.

[AVGresponding]

There is then the problem of having to justify the release of CO² in its operation... not so much if it is used to replace other older, less efficient class 1 heating systems, but I bet even if the creator succeeded in his project the climate change lobby would rightly or wrongly piss all over the idea.

They're wanting to make CO₂! Let's burn them!   

Oh, wait...

[Xena E]

There is then the problem of having to justify the release of CO² in its operation... not so much if it is used to replace other older, less efficient class 1 heating systems, but I bet even if the creator succeeded in his project the climate change lobby would rightly or wrongly piss all over the idea.

They're wanting to make CO₂! Let's burn them!   

Oh, wait...

Yeah.

The "mums for lungs brigade" really get pissed when you burn your old rubber soled deck shoes to get the fire going.

[WorBlux]

Off the bat without thinking about it, cool, but I don't see how this scales. And what's the true end-end efficiency?

I think the keyword here is Thermo-photovoltiac cell. A joint NREL/MIT group measured a vaguely similar cell at 41%. 

Lightcellenergy seems heavily in development still, but Mesodyne has a LightCell(tm) product that operates under a similar theory of operation and is under contract with the US air force for further development.

The theory seems good but there is a whole host of engineering and production issues to actually overcome.