If George Cove had achieved his dream, then solar might have displaced fossil energy by 1997 according to The Conversation. Two themes concerning this controversy are common knowledge on the internet. The first of these holds that pioneer fossil-fuel-electricity suppliers used unscrupulous business practices to discourage opposition. While the second is that George Cove’s thermo-electric company shut down after he was kidnapped, but was later released unharmed.
How Did George Cove’s Thermo-Electric Device Work?
Journals of New Brunswick University, Canada cite George Cove’s patent application as follows and we quote:
“A thermo-electric battery and appurtenances comprising a block of incombustible, non-conductive material, a series of pairs of elements comprising a plurality of elements formed of an alloy of antinomy and zinc, and a plurality of elements connecting said antinomy and zinc elements, said elements connecting said first-mentioned elements being alternatively of copper and of an alloy of nickel, copper and zinc.”
Wikipedia describes how thermoelectric generation occurs when heat flux converts temperature differences to electric current. The heat that flows between hot and cold materials contains charge carriers, in a manner analogous to what happens in batteries when ions flow. A Trove newspaper report from 1908 suggests George Cove’s thermo-electric device could supply electricity for an entire house.
Such Claims Did Not Sit Well With Fossil Fuel Pioneers
A 1909 edition of The Technical World Magazine made the following claim, which would not have gone down well with the growing fossil-fuel industry:
“Given two days’ sun it will store sufficient electrical energy to light an ordinary house for a week… It is as indestructible as a kitchen range… It is possible to store the sun’s rays in any good form of storage battery … And turn them on at will to do the desired work, whether lighting a room or heating a chafing dish or running a sewing machine or churn.”
Cove fell victim to kidnapping in 1909. The criminals offered $25,000 and a house against his release, provided he closed his business, but their victim refused to negotiate. The kidnappers then released him later unharmed. His competitors claimed the event was a publicity stunt, while Cove accused a former investor.
Cove closed his business down after his release. The rest is mystery and speculation. Abandoning his dreams may have set solar energy back for several decades, while Earth continued warming at a faster rate.
More Information
Forgotten Solar Panel World of Frank Shuman
How the War of Currents Gave Us 110 Volts AC
Preview Image: Cove’s Solar Electric Generator
Article in Low-Tech Magazine October 25, 2021
Journals of New Brunswick University California
Extract from Trove Newspaper 1908 to 1909
