We lose a lot of energy through heat in our devices. If a device puts out heat, regardless of what that device is doing, that’s energy lost. Researchers want to capture that and a new development utilizing carbon nanotubes may make that that dream into a reality.

Heat that is lost has to go through some changes before it’s ready to be utilized. You can’t just capture it in a battery and go about your day. Conventional methods of heat capture generally rely on steam or turbines. This system is a bit different. It transfers the heat to light and then finally to electricity. There are more steps but it turns out that’s more efficient than conventional means.

Though still in early stages of development, something like this could help solve major energy waste problems. Less wasted energy equals more sustainable processes which is better for the environment over all.