Thermoelectric Generator

A thermoelectric generator, or TEG, also called a Seebeck generator, is a solid state device that converts heat driven by a temperature difference directly into electrical energy through the Seebeck effect. It performs the same overall function as a heat engine but is less bulky and has no moving parts, though thermoelectric generators are typically more expensive to build and less efficient at converting heat into electricity than a conventional heat engine. Running the same underlying principle in reverse, using an electric current to create a heat gradient rather than to generate one from an existing gradient, is called a thermoelectric, or Peltier, cooler.