Techno-environmental analysis of material substitution in thermoelectric modules: non-oxide (bismuth telluride alloys) vs. oxide-based (lanthanum-doped strontium titanate and calcium cobaltite) materials

•Lifecycle assessment of specific non-oxide vs. oxide-based thermoelectric modules is presented.•Energy consumption during fabrication constitutes the largest impact for both modules.•The use of Te/Sb exhibited noticeable environmental toxicity impacts for the non-oxide module.•The presence of cobalt oxide in the oxide-based module constitute environmental toxicity impacts.•Power output plays a significant role in offsetting the energy consumption during fabrication.