Recent interest in the use of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) to recover waste heat in large-scale applications calls for precise simulation to appropriately design complicated and dynamic systems. The aim of this work is to develop a computer tool to accurately simulate the thermal and electrical dynamics of a real thermoelectric (TE) power generating system. The computer-aided model presented here is able to accurately simulate the non-linear electro-thermal coupled effects which occur during changes in the operating conditions, e.g. temperature or load changes. Simulation results are compared to experimental data obtained from a real TE system. The comparison shows great accuracy both during transients and in the steady-state, thus validating the model as a reliable tool to simulate TE generating systems. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.