An inventor in Poland has created a small generator that turns heat from a single tea candle into electricity. The system powers two LED bulbs that produce more light than the candle itself. The device shows how wasted heat can be captured and put to use.
Maciej Nowak built the generator using a thermoelectric device called a TEG. These solid-state chips produce voltage when one side is hot and the other stays cool. The temperature difference makes electrons move, creating electricity with no moving parts. Nowak designed the system to keep one side hot and the other side cold for maximum effect.
A burning candle releases heat in all directions, and most of it simply warms the surrounding air. Nowak wanted to capture some of that wasted energy. His setup uses radiators to collect heat from the flame and transfer it to the TEG. The hot side reaches high temperatures while the cold side stays cool, creating the temperature gap needed for power generation.
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The hot side of the TEG connects to a small radiator that sits above the candle flame. The cold side connects to a much larger radiator that stays cool. This large cold-side radiator is critical—without it, both sides would eventually reach the same temperature and power production would stop. The bigger the temperature difference, the more electricity the TEG produces.
The electricity flows through a small converter that keeps the voltage steady at 3.3 volts. This steady power runs two custom LED bulbs mounted on each side of the device. Nowak designed the circuit boards himself. The finished product looks like a minimalist desk ornament rather than a science experiment. The LEDs provide far more light and a whiter glow than the candle flame alone.
The system produces about 1 to 1.4 watt-hours of power from a single candle, with an efficiency of roughly 1 percent. The candle itself releases about 35 watts of total heat, so most of that energy still goes to waste. However, the captured energy creates light that is brighter and whiter than the candle flame could provide on its own.
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The generator will not power a home or charge a phone. TEGs conduct heat quickly, which reduces the temperature difference over time. Even with better components, efficiency tops out at about 5 percent, producing maybe 2 watts maximum. The device works best as a demonstration project or a conversation piece rather than a serious power source.
Despite its limits, the project shows how small-scale energy harvesting can work. It captures waste heat that would otherwise disappear into the room and turns it into useful light. For inventors and hobbyists, it offers a hands-on way to explore thermoelectric technology and think differently about everyday energy sources.
