A system and method for energy harvesting in a data center has one or more collection devices, a thermoelectric device, and a controller for directing the operation of the thermoelectric device and other equipment in the data center. The waste heat generated by the servers in the data center is harnessed and directed into the thermoelectric device where the waste heat is converted to usable electrical energy under the direction of the controller. The recycled electrical energy is then combined with utility-input power and provided to the servers and other equipment in the data center for consumption.