  Research on thermoelectrical energy conversion, the reuse of waste heat
produced by some mechanical or chemical processes to generate electricity, has
recently gained some momentum. The calculation of the electronic parameters
entering the figure of merit of this energy conversion, and therefore the
discovery of efficient materials, is usually performed starting from the
Landauer's approach to quantum transport coupled with the Onsager's linear
response theory. As it is well known, that approach suffers of certain serious
drawbacks. Here, we discuss alternative dynamical methods that can go beyond
the validity of the Landauer's/Onsager's approach for electronic transport.
They can be used to validate the predictions of the Landauer's/Onsager's
approach and to investigate systems for which that approach has shown to be
unsatisfactory.
