MIT has developed a solid state heat engine that works with a heat source of about 2000 degrees centigrade or about 4000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The article was long on speculation and short on data. I can only surmise from the gist of the article that this is not an energy dense solution so I would not expect it to replace gas turbines anytime soon.
A quick search of the MIT website yielded nothing.
If anyone can find actual data that might be interesting
MIT has developed a solid state heat engine that works with a heat source of about 2000 degrees centigrade or about 4000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Like you say, not a lot of detail in the article but the efficiency of heat engines is a function of the temperature difference between the hot reservoir and the cold reservoir. So if the hot reservoir is super hot then engine will be more efficient.
What it sounds like is they have removed the mechanical process of turning heat into electricity. Which is pretty cool and of course removes friction and other losses which improves efficiency. But like you say, combined cycle gas engines are more efficient than that.
MIT has developed a solid state heat engine that works with a heat source of about 2000 degrees centigrade or about 4000 degrees Fahrenheit. The article was long on speculation and short on data.