Self-powered arctic satellite communication system by harvesting wave energy using a triboelectric nanogenerator

Abstract

Previous studies reported that the electrical output of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) materials is higher at low temperatures (below −20 °C) than at room temperature, indicating that a TENG device may be suitable in low-temperature environments such as the Arctic Ocean. However, research on TENG systems for extreme weather conditions (temperatures as low as) −40 °C is lacking. This paper presents the design of Arctic-TENG, which efficiently generates electricity to power a satellite communication system in Arctic Ocean conditions. Arctic-TENG was designed for low-temperature operations and performs better at cold temperatures than at room temperature. Using an out-of-water wave simulator at 0.2 Hz, the peak power density of Arctic-TENG reached 21.4 W/m3. Realistic energy requirements were obtained by implementing a satellite communication system, and the available energy from Arctic-TENG was measured and evaluated considering the available wave energy in the Arctic Ocean. The total energy generated per year from Arctic-TENG is 8.59 kJ. One Arctic-TENG can transmit 540 bytes of data per day over a year, which demonstrates the power supply capability of Arctic-TENG for long-term operation of a satellite communication system.