Low-Cost, Roll-To-Roll Printed, Organic TEGs: Why ZT Is Not The Most Important Factor (Energy Harvesting USA 2016)

While material scientists in thermoelectrics traditionally focus on improving ZT, for the production of a working TE-Module many more factors come into play. This is especially true for organic thermoelectrics, were traditional module assembly methods cannot be applied. However, organic materials allow for extremely cost-effective production methods like printing. From an application point of view, more, or at least equally important parameters in comparison to ZT are 1) processablility from solution, 2) air stability, 3) scalability and of course 4) cost. To prove this point, otego will present a low-cost, roll-to-roll printed, organic TEG which is on its way to commercialization. This TEG is based on a self-developed derivative of PEDOT with moderate improvements of ZT and it is able to power a wireless sensor-node which transmits temperature measurements via Bluetooth

Frederick Lessmann is Co-Founder and CEO of otego. He and his team is pushing the boundaries of printed electronics and developed a completely new approach to make thermoelectric energy harvesting competitive. Prior to founding otego, Frederick held positions at Siemens and Fraunhofer and he was management consultant at a spin-off firm from AT Kearney. He holds a degree in industrial engineering and management from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany) and McGill University (Canada).

otego is a German spin-off from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and develops organic thermoelectric generators (TEG) as an independent energy supply for the internet of things. otego's sugar cube sized TEGs will be flexible, robust, free of heavy metals and with an output voltage above 1 Volt.