**1.2 Specific areas of thermoelectricity applications**

Thermoelectric phenomenon has also been utilized for the accurate measurement of temperature by means of a thermocouple in which a junction of two dissimilar wires is maintained at a known reference temperature (for example, in an ice bath) and the other junction at the location where the temperature is to be measured. At moderate temperatures (up to about 260C /500F), wire combinations of iron and copper, iron and constantan (a copper-nickel alloy), and copper and constantan are frequently used. At high temperatures (up to 1649C/3000 F), wires made from platinum and a platinum-rhodium alloy are employed (Encycl. Britannica, 1987).

Lertsatitthanakorn (2007) investigated the feasibility of adding a commercial TE module made of bismuth-telluride based materials to the stove's side-wall, thereby creating a TE generator system that utilizes a proportion of the stove's waste heat. The results showed that the system generates approximately 2.4 W when the temperature difference is 150 0C. This generated power is enough to run a small radio or a low power incandescent light bulb. Other research works (Rowe, 2006, Lertsatitthanakorn, 2007) were conducted in order to investigate the feasibility of using a TE generator in an improved biomass fired stove already developed.

The main motivation for studying thermoelectrics is to find ways to improve their performance for better implementation in agricultural systems (Champier *et al*., 2009). In areas with unreliable electricity supply, the feasibility of adding a commercial thermoelectric (TE) module to stove design is being investigated (Rowe, 2006). Nuwayhid *et*  *al.,* (2003) considered the prospect of applying TE modules in rural domestic woodstoves in regions where the electric supply is unreliable and subject to frequent disruption. This research work investigated the potentials of the utilization of asphalt bonded thermocouples in electricity generation and its application in small scale agricultural lighting projects such as poultry house illumination. The generator design work was made using existing highquality Peltier modules in the power-generating mode.
