Three commercial thermoelectric modules that are designed
for cooling/heating applications have been characterized as
TEGs to evaluate their performance as power generators.
The open-circuit voltage and output power performance
has been measured for each module at different temperature
gradients and load conditions by means of a purposely designed
measurement setup. The experimental results demonstrate
the possibility of using the thermoelectric devices as
power generators to supply low-power circuits. Experimental
evidence has been obtained on the importance of the
finite thermal conductance of the module faces in reducing
the effective temperature difference across active thermocouple
elements. The characterization results of the tested
modules have been compared with the performance data of
commercial modules that are specifically designed for powerharvesting
applications, and the main differences have been
discussed.