Recent developments in thermoelectric materials and systems have led to renewed interest in thermoelectric devices for power generation. Operating conditions of the heat source and heat sink are essential in evaluating the conversion efficiency of such thermoelectric generator systems. This study provides a method for evaluating efficiency entitlement for thermoelectric power generation when thermoelectric material properties and system operating conditions are specified. The efficiency entitlement in closed form solutions for the most commonly used thermoelectric power generation configurations are presented followed by results and discussion.

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