The team of Spectral Energies LLC and University of Tennessee will design, build, deliver, and commercialize a Plasma Enhanced Thermionic Energy Converter (PETEC) for efficient conversion of heat to electric power. There are increasing demand to recover the waste heat generated by various high-temperature industries (e.g., steel, aluminum, glass cement, lime, power plant), because this increases energy efficiency, reduces environmental impact, and improves workflow and productivity. Globally effective use of energy, however, accounts for only around 34%, while the remainder, at around 66%, is wasted thermal energy and often causing environmental issues. Current commercially available thermal-electric converters have limited temperature operation range and efficiency (