this post was submitted on 21 May 2025
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These are just Peltier cooling mechanisms highly refined it seems. If they've increased the efficiency enough that a full-sized refrigerator can keep food cool without refrigerant or a constant electrical signal, that's huge. AFAIK Peltier coolers still need some electrical input, though minimal.
I'm calling bullshit. There's no way a Peltier element can exceed the coefficient of performance of the refrigeration cycle, at an affordable price, without turning the room into a hothouse.
Umm, a typical refrigerator cranks out a lot of heat. Why would would this be less efficient than that?
Check the efficiency of heat pumps.
Read the paper, it's linked below. This is solid state, there's no refrigerant. Heat pumps are efficient, and this IS a heat pump, which is far more efficient than the old school heat pump that uses a 'refrigeration cycle'. I'm with you on being skeptical, and it may be a long time from 'discovery' to production of a saleable device, but this IS a legit significant breakthrough.
Modern refrigerators only generate heat through the capture by refrigerant inside and the pump circulating air. Without those, it's a different story. A Peltier cooling device works similarly, but I can see it being more efficient overall since you would know where the heat ends up. Think car radiator or CPU heatsink. Same basic concept.