University of Rochester researchers have developed a way to make solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) 15 times more powerful, potentially closing the efficiency gap with conventional solar panels and opening new possibilities for renewable energy. “There's an invisible river of warm air flowing out of data centers,” said Laura Schaefer, the Burton J. McMurtry Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Rice and co-author of the paper. Thermal energy storage for solar thermal power plants offers the potential to deliver electricity without fossil fuel backup as well as to meet peak demand. US-based Creighton University has equipped a new student residence with solar heat collectors generating an annual peak capacity of 69. Credit: University of Rochester / J. Adam Fenster Researchers have.