A rotational piezoelectric energy harvester for efficient wind energy harvesting

Abstract

A rotational piezoelectric energy harvester for efficiently harvesting wind energy is developed. The piezoelectric (PVDF) beam generates electricity using the impact-induced vibration. An analytical model is presented and simulated using finite element method. The transient responses of the piezoelectric beam subjected to an impulse pressure are obtained. The relationship between rms output voltage and excitation frequency is analyzed. It is found the impact frequency is an important factor for the harvester performance. When the impact frequency is beyond the critical one, the output power of the harvester will decrease with increasing the wind speed. To improve the harvester performance, the methods for the adjustment of the vibration frequency of the PVDF beam are proposed. The harvester can effectively scavenge the wind energy. A maximum rms voltage of 160.2V and a maximum output power of 2566.4μW were obtained at the wind speed of 14m/s in configuration 2.