A modified figure of merit for pyroelectric energy harvesting

•We derive new figure of merit for pyroelectric thermal energy harvesting.•We examine figure of merit for common pyroelectric materials.•The figure of merit can be used for selection of materials or design of new materials for pyroelectric energy harvesting applications.

This paper reports a new figure of merit for the selection of pyroelectric materials for thermal energy harvesting applications, for example, when the material is exposed to heat or radiation of a specified power density. The figure of merit put forward and developed is of interest to those selecting materials for the design of thermal harvesting devices or the development of novel ceramic, single-crystal and composite materials for pyroelectric harvesting applications.