The climate crisis presents unique and largely
unprecedented social, economic, political and technical
challenges. The technical challenges, though enormous, may
prove the most tractable of all. Among the technical
challenges is the development of energy technologies with
much reduced environmental impact This note provides an
overview of thermoelectric technology, a solid state ‘heat
engine’ capable of converting heat to electricity or
alternatively converting electricity into cooling. Such an
overview is timely because thermoelectric technology has
made significant scientific progress in recent years and its
potential to reduce the environmental impact of electrical
power generation has been discussed. While the science,
technology and business of thermoelectrics has never been
stronger than today, the opportunity for a material impact on
the climate crisis appears limited. Only a single application,
recovery of vehicle waste heat, appears plausible in this
respect. And even that application faces stiff barriers.