THERMOELECTRIC ELEMENT AND THERMOELECTRIC GENERATION SYSTEM

A thermoelectric element includes a thermoelectric member made of thermoelectric materials and having a through hole, a pipe inserted into the through hole for making fluid flow, and a soaking member provided to the side of the thermoelectric element. The pipe and the soaking member respectively also function as an electrode of the thermoelectric member. A surface of the soaking member includes a blackened surface and a mirror surface. A thermoelectric generation system includes a container having a lighting window, the thermoelectric element housed in the container, a fluid feeder for feeding fluid into the pipe, and a power consumption source that consumes electric power generated by the thermoelectric element. The thermoelectric element is housed in the container so that the blackened surface is located under the lighting window.