| Mária Telkes | |
|---|---|
Mária Telkes
|
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| Born | December 12, 1900 |
| Died | December 2, 1995 |
| Nationality | Hungary |
| Fields | physics |
| Known for | thermoelectricity |
Mária Telkes (December 12, 1900 – Budapest; December 2, 1995) was a Hungarian-American scientist and inventor who worked on solar energy technologies.
Telkes moved to the United States after completing her PhD in physical chemistry in Hungary. She worked as a biophysicist in the United States and from 1939 to 1953 she was involved in solar energy research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Telkes is known for creating the first thermoelectric power generator in 1947 and the first thermoelectric refrigerator in 1953 using the principles of semiconductor thermoelectricity.
She was a prolific inventor of practical thermal devices, including a miniature desalination unit for use on lifeboats, which used solar power and condensation to collect potable solar still.
One of her specialties were phase-change materials, including molten salts to store thermal energy. She lectured widely in a rather pronounced Hungarian accent that made her sound like one of the Gabor sisters. Fortunately, she had a ready sense of humor. One of her materials of choice was sodium sulfate Glauber's salt. After a lecture in Texas, a student came up to her, intrigued and asked, "Where can I get some of your 'global' salts ?"
Telkes was considered one of the founders of solar thermal storage systems. She moved to Texas in the 1970s and consulted with a variety of start-up solar companies, including Northrup Solar, which subsequently became ARCO Solar, and eventually BP Solar.