This is either cool . . . or ridiculous

  • Posted on: 30 November 2011
  • By: Jay Oyster

Lee Valley is selling a outside table lamp powered entirely by a TEG, a themoelectric generator.  So, the candle burns, heats up the TEG, which generates enough voltage to power 8 LED lights. The result is one tea light that generates as much light as 19 tea light candles.  Kind of shows how much energy is wasted by a candle, no?

Lee Valley candle powered camping lightI originally thought the idea was kind of silly, but it really isn't. It uses as much of the energy of the wax as is possible, and it turns it into something useful . . .light for an outside table far from an electrical outlet.  Kind of expensive, but hey . . .it's a geek toy.

Lee Valley Candle-Powered Table light