in a small amount of circumstances perhaps. Generally, the other side of a thermocouple needs cooled to effectively work, and cooling costs energy, possibly more than would be made.

Thanks for the input. Yes, I agree with your statement generally as most thermocouple technology would not be viable. There is a supposed new material that is being brought to bear by a Japanese company (Furukawa) that will keep the thermal energy from spreading throughout the material, allowing for generation of energy from heat. Apparently this is not a new concept... they are talking about using it in cars mainly by generating electricity from exhaust heat. I had been thinking for a while about how one would harness the heat from solar panels, but I had in mind a mechanical mechanism (fluid flow, turning motors, possibly nanomotors); however this possibility seems more elegant. Here is the supporting article: http://tinyurl.com/57wpqn