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Lekbir et al. Energy Mater. 2025, 5, 500101 Energy Materials
DOI: 10.20517/energymater.2025.46

Article Open Access

Performance and environmental impact analysis of

thermoelectric generators through material selection
and geometry optimization

1,3
1
Abdelhak Lekbir , Saad Mekhilef 2,3,* , Kok Soon Tey , Abdullah Albaker 4
1
Department of Computer System & Technology, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya,
Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
2
School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia.
3
Power Electronics and Renewable Energy Research Laboratory (PEARL), Department of Electrical Engineering, Universiti
Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
4
Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Ha’il, Ha’il 10 City 81451, Saudi Arabia.
*Correspondence to: Prof. Saad Mekhilef, School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, John Street, Melbourne,
VIC 3122, Australia. E-mail: smekhilef@swin.edu.au
How to cite this article: Lekbir, A.; Mekhilef, S.; Tey, K. S.; Albaker, A. Performance and environmental impact analysis of
thermoelectric generators through material selection and geometry optimization. Energy Mater. 2025, 5, 500101. https://dx.doi.
org/10.20517/energymater.2025.46

Received: 26 Feb 2025 First Decision: 8 Apr 2025 Revised: 22 Apr 2025 Accepted: 25 Apr 2025 Published: 14 May 2025

Academic Editors: Sung Son Jae, Sen Xin Copy Editor: Fangling Lan Production Editor: Fangling Lan
Abstract
This study evaluates the performance and environmental impact of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) by analyzing
various thermoelectric materials and system geometries. A comprehensive life cycle assessment is conducted to
quantify the embodied energy and carbon emissions associated with different materials. The study employs
particle swarm optimization to optimize TEG geometry, aiming to enhance power output while minimizing
environmental impact. The results demonstrate that material selection significantly influences both energy
conversion efficiency and sustainability. Specifically, PbTe-based TEGs achieve the highest power output, whereas
SiGe-based modules exhibit the highest environmental footprint. Through optimization, an 80% increase in power
output is achieved for certain configurations, alongside a reduction in CO emissions. Key findings highlight PbTe-
2
based TEGs as the most efficient energy converters, while Bi Te -based modules strike a balance between
3
2
performance and sustainability. In contrast, SiGe-based TEGs have the highest environmental footprint due to their
high embodied energy. Additionally, the study reveals that optimizing the number of thermocouples and leg
dimensions significantly improves energy conversion efficiency and reduces carbon emissions. These findings
provide valuable insights for designing next-generation TEG systems that effectively balance performance and
environmental responsibility.

Keywords: TEG materials, leg geometry, geometry optimization, embodied energy, environmental impact.

© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and
indicate if changes were made.

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