Goodbye to rare materials and battery changes: Danish deeptech startup makes thermoelectric power scalable

Danish deeptech company TEGnology has cracked the code to one of the industry’s biggest challenges: how to exploit temperature differences to produce power without relying on expensive and rare materials.

“The industry has been locked by rare materials. We have developed a material combination and process that removes that bottleneck. It may sound simple, but it took many years of material research, testing and development,” says Hao Yin, CEO of TEGnology.

The company’s technology is based on thermoelectric generators (TEGs) that convert heat into power and supply energy to sensors and small devices – without batteries or cables. It’s a solution with potential across multiple sectors, from pharma and district heating to data centers and green energy.

TEGnology was founded based on global patents and research from Aarhus University. The original ambition was to supply power from exhaust heat in cars – but the rise of electric cars quickly closed that market.

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“There was no clear market or investors, but I still had a strong belief in the potential of the technology. That’s why I chose to continue the work,” says Hao Yin, who today leads the company with over 10 projects and partners behind him.

Innovation projects paved the way for scalable solution

Among the milestones on the journey is the DIMAS innovation project, where collaboration with Energy Cluster Denmark led to a prototype that could recycle waste heat for wireless, battery-free sensor operation.

“We showed how waste heat from pipes and tanks can be utilized to power sensors – without the need for batteries or cables. The result is a solution that makes digital monitoring more sustainable, cost-effective and reliable,” says Hao Yin.

The solution has already found its way to the pharmaceutical and district heating industries through the SensEver®HSI and SensEver®-Alfa products, which provide self-sufficient wireless monitoring and reduce the need for maintenance in hard-to-reach areas.

Backed by solid research results, TEGnology is now ready for the next step.

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“Our generator serves as a possible enabling technology across sectors – as long as there is a temperature difference, we can produce power,” says Hao Yin.

Next targets include applications in solar cell optimization, industrial energy recovery and wearable technology powered by body heat.