An experimental study on a wind-induced vibration power generator for orientation-adaptive energy harvesting

Abstract

Batteries with a limited lifespan have gradually failed to meet the development needs of some low-power electronic products. Harvesting wind energy to power the above devices has been a promising way. Facing the time-varying characteristics of wind direction and velocity in the natural environment, an efficient orientation-adaptive energy harvester (OAEH) based on the piezoelectric effect is proposed. An experimental test system is established to probe into the output and adaptive performances of the OAEH. The experimental results indicate that improving the inertia of the tray can abate the initial wind velocity and enhance the output power to a certain extent. The relative deviation (γ) of power integration areas at different inclinations is less than 3%. The harvester has 364.86% enhancement in average power integration area comparing that with the fixed shaft. Besides, the OAEH can drive a monitoring device with a display screen and integrated sensors, which can be utilized to monitor the condition of the bridge, flyover, and so on.