there may be some variation of peltiers that do generate power, but this isn't one of them
AFAIK, all Peltier diode stacks
do generate power, but not very efficiently. Their biggest deficiency, other than the expense, is a very limited range of temperatures through which they can operate. For more information please visit some of the links on
this Google results page concerning Peltier generator efficiency.
A Thermopile isn't very efficient at converting a temperature difference into useful electrical power either, but they are simple and inexpensive to produce. More important, they can operate over a wide range of temperature between the hot junctions and the cold junctions. Hundreds of thermo-couples can be connected in series, with the hot junctions pointed inward and the cold junctions pointed outward, to obtain practical voltages at useful currents.
Try using iron wire (such as florist wire) twisted together with bare copper wire to form a thermo-couple (TC). You can then arrange series-connected TCs as a multi-pointed "star" with the outer, cold TC junctions being clamped to a cylindrical heat sink between thin mica insulation to prevent shorting. You might want to stack several of these to form a kind of "chimney" to conduct heat up through the hot TC junctions pointing inward.
Iron and constantan might be better materials for TC junctions compared to iron and copper because the two metals are easily welded to form a TC bead on the end. The two materials form a J-type thermo-couple and this type of TC wire is readily available. It requires about a hundred series-connected J-type TC junctions to produce a one volt potential if the cold junctions are held at 80F and hot junctions are heated to 411F. Use
this table to find the Thermopile potential for other cold-junction/hot-junction temperatures.
