Recycling Energy just like we do plastic, metal, paper and cardboard

We have spent a lot of time thinking about energy making and materials recycling, but why have we not thought about recycling energy?

If we try and work out what we can use thermoelectrical generators for, what it essentially amounts to is energy recycling. At the moment, we recycle plastics, metals, glass,
paper and cardboard for the purposes of reducing the quantity of
resources that we need to take from nature. With TEG (thermoelectric
generators) we are recycling wasted energy so that the quantity of
energy that is required by the grid is reduced. As we are still
getting a lot of power from methane, coal and oil, and the 1^st
world countries will want to carry on without loss of standard of
life, it seems daft to me that we don't try and recycle the energy
that our modern lifestyle gives off all the time.

I have done a handful of blogs on the subject here on Evoke, and it seems more and more like a good idea.

Just to recap, a TEG is a Peltier semiconductor cooler being used in reverse, so instead of taking electrical energy to cool a surface, a temperature differential
between the two surfaces causes the flow of electrical energy. This
is called the Seeback effect.

Although a great deal of technical knowledge will have to be sourced to make sure that the right quality of TEGs are made, one might be able to hypothesise that thinner TEGs
are better for lower temperature differentials and thicker TEGs are
better for higher temperature differentials. Also different types of
semiconductor crystals in the actual device will have a different
effect on performance. The TEGs will have to be designed for purpose
so that we can properly recycle the energy that is being produced by
modern life.

The way that I see it there must be different types of methods for energy recycling.

Firstly the collection of energy from a device so that it can be put back into the device. For instance taking the heat that is produced by a compact fluorescent bulb's
transformer and using TEG technology to turn that into power that the
bulb can use thus reducing the quantity of power that the device
draws from the grid.

Secondly, collecting the power remotely prior to using it external to the grid or internal to the grid. For instance, taking the intense temperature differential between the
underside of an aeroplanes wing when in flight and the inside of an
aeroplanes engine, using that with TEG technology to charge up a
battery on board the plane that can then be discharged when the plane
is at a the airport. The power being either given back to the grid or
maybe used to power the amenities at the airport. The bar, air
conditioning, office computers etc.

Thirdly, taking heat power from a non electrical object and using TEG technology, putting that back into the grid, for instance, taking the heat given off out of a
restaurants ovens that is usually drawn out of the building by a
system of fans, passing that over a TEG unit, generating power and
directing that back into the grid.

(There may be many other ways of using this technology)

We need to try and use this heat scavenging worldwide so as to assist us in fighting climate change. However, we also need to find the first few major applications that
will create the most noticeable difference first so that we can put
some TEGs to work as proof of concept.

Making energy through alternative means is a great idea, but if we can recycle even a fraction of a percentage of the power that we waste, that must also be a good
thing, and a good thing that we can use as part of the mix to free us
from climate change fears.