Innovations in thermoelectric materials face some big challenges. These challenges stop them from reaching their full potential for collecting energy. Here are the main issues:

1. Material Efficiency: Many new materials don’t work very well for thermoelectric purposes. This is measured by something called the dimensionless figure of merit, or $ZT$. It's hard to find materials with a $ZT$ score higher than 2.

2. Cost and Scalability: Some high-performance materials are rare or really expensive. This makes it tough to use them on a large scale.

3. Durability: We worry about how well these materials hold up over time. Weather and other factors can affect their performance.

Solutions:

• We can use better computer models to find new materials that are cheaper and more common.
• We can also create strong coatings to help these materials last longer and work better.