Energy Harvesting Module Research Articles

Multi-energy harvesting: Integrating contact-mode and slide-mode triboelectric nanogenerators, and solar technologies for efficient power generation in small electronic

Harvesting energy from the environment is getting more attention daily to drive small electronics. This paper presents a hybrid energy harvesting module that uses contact-mode triboelectric nanogenerator, slide-mode nanogenerator, and solar energy to generate electrical power. The fabricated module has three parts, i.e., the base part operating in triboelectric contact mode, the rotary part employing lateral sliding triboelectricity, and solar cells for harnessing sunlight. The 3D designed module parts have been fabricated using 3D printer and laser cutting machine. Subsequently, the parts were assembled by applying triboelectric (Aluminum and Kapton) material onto them. The triboelectric contact mode generated 0.57 µW of electric power achieving power density achieved 57 µWm−2 at the contact area of 100 cm2. Electric power delivered by triboelectrification of the rotary part was 117 µW, whereas the power density was recorded as 232.6 µWm−2 at the contact area 503.36 cm2, and power delivered by solar cells was 66.64 mW. The designed module successfully delivered power to small electronic devices such as electronic thermometers, digital calculators, digital clocks, and 25 green-coloured LEDs. The implications of these findings suggest that such a hybrid module can significantly extend the operational life and independence of small-scale electronics, making it a promising solution for remote sensing, wearable technology, and IoT devices.

Simulation and characterization of an integrated MR damper with energy harvesting and embedded channels

Combined with two objectives of vibration reduction and energy harvesting, an integrated magnetorheological (MR) damper with energy harvesting and embedded channels is presented in this research. The effects of different structural parameters on the magnetic flux density and damping performance of the damping module are investigated using the finite element method. In addition, the effects of different frequencies, amplitudes, currents, and external resistances on the damping and energy harvesting characteristics of the proposed damper are experimentally studied. Simulation results demonstrate that the damping force first increases and then decreases with the increase of inner cylinder thickness and magnetic isolation height, increases with the increase of coil turns and current size, and decreases with the increase of outer cylinder thickness and magnetic isolation width. Simulation values of the damping force of the damping module are in good agreement with experimental data. Experimental results indicate that the damping force of the energy harvesting module drops as the external resistance rises. The output voltage of the energy harvesting module increases with the raise of external resistance. The average output power and the energy harvesting efficiency of the new damper reach 7.3 W and 53.5 % when A = 10 mm, f = 2 Hz, and R = 5 Ω.

Resilient Reinforcement Learning for Voltage Control in an Islanded DC Microgrid Integrating Data-Driven Piezoelectric

This research study presents a resilient control scheme for an islanded DC microgrid (DC MG) integrating solar photovoltaic (PV), battery storage (BESS), and piezoelectric (PE) energy harvesting modules. The microgrid (MG) case study represents an energy hub designed to provide electricity for lighting systems in transportation, roads, and other infrastructure. To enhance practicality, the PE is modeled using the real data captured from a traffic simulator. The proposed reinforcement learning (RL) method was tested against four severe and unexpected failure scenarios, including short circuit at the load side, sudden and severe change of load, open circuit, and converter failure. The performance of the controller was quantitatively compared with a conventional PI controller. The results show marginal improvement in one scenario and significant improvement in the other three, suggesting that the proposed scheme is a robust candidate for microgrids with high levels of uncertainty, such as those involving solar and PE harvesters.

Evaluation of the Mechanical Properties of PLA Material Used For 3D Printing Solar E-Hub Component

The advent of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies revolutionized design and production processes across various industries. In renewable energy, AM enabled new possibilities for optimizing solar e-hub (solar energy harvesting module) configurations, enhancing efficiency and performance. This study examined critical considerations such as material selection, durability, and cost-effectiveness in solar hub development. This fast-prototyping technique was controlled by computer-aided design (CAD) software like CREO Parametric 7.0 and Creality Slicer 4.8. Experimental results indicated that PLA (Polylactic acid) materials exhibited superior strength, with an impact energy of 4.8 Joules. The deformation study revealed that the maximum load of 22 MPa aligned with the ultimate tensile strength of PLA, and a hardness test result of 83.1 HRF featured its exemplary hardness properties. These findings advanced the understanding of using AM to investigate mechanical behaviours of PLA materials and optimize solar e-hub configurations for portable device applications, promoting sustainable energy solutions and the adoption of renewable energy technologies. In addition, the successful implementation of this approach will enable the renewable energy sectors to minimize the carbon foot-prints towards helping the global net-zero emissions by aligning the circular economy approach.

Robust IoT system for Smart Beaches Applications: A case study in the Valencian Region, Spain

This paper presents the design of a robust IoT (Internet of Things) system developed for Smart Beaches Applications that allows the planning and smart management of these areas. The contributions of this development were to implement low-cost and maintained-free hardware devices with wireless data transmission based on Sigfox LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) technology, evaluation of the application, and overcome the aggressive environment where nodes were placed. Nodes have a low power consumption, which allows to be supplied by batteries, and these batteries are recharged by an energy harvesting module with solar panels. These nodes include different sensors for monitoring physical parameters such as: temperature, relative humidity, ultraviolet index, etc. Sensors’ data are transmitted via the network base stations to an IoT platform and from there to an application server. A database has been designed to save the data and make it available to tourists via a mobile application. In this way, the proposed IoT system achieves real-time monitoring of the existing environmental conditions at beaches and provides tourists with information on the environmental situation of the beach. The node developed presents an average current and power consumption of 1.88 mA and 6 mW, respectively. This consumption allows an autonomous operation without solar panels for around 10 days with a full charged 500 mA battery. Conducted experiments with real deployments at beaches in the Mediterranean coast of Spain have proved that, in case of operating the nodes with solar panels and protecting them adequately, they can run for several years without maintenance thanks to a ruggedized electronic.

A Magnetically Coupled Piezoelectric Ocean Wave Energy Harvester for Self-Powered Low-Power Appliances

The ocean contains abundant wave energy, which can be used as a new regenerative energy for power generation and provide energy for self-powered low-power appliances, realizing in situ energy utilization. Then, it can effectively promote the sustainable development strategy of the ocean and bring huge energy and social and environmental benefits. This paper proposes a magnetically coupled piezoelectric ocean wave energy harvester (MPWEH) system for wave energy harvesting. The MPWEH system includes four modules: energy harvesting, force magnification, piezoelectric power generation, and energy storage module. The energy harvesting module moves up and down in the tube body with the wave, effectively capturing and absorbing the wave energy and transforming the harvesting module’s motion into the interaction repulsive force between magnets. Then, the force magnification module amplified the magnetic force and applied it to the polarization direction of the piezoelectric ceramic to self-power the low-power appliances. This research carried out the feasibility verification experiment with the MPWEH prototype, and the results show that when the period is 3[Formula: see text]s, and the amplitude is 2[Formula: see text]m, the maximum voltage can reach 15[Formula: see text]V, and the maximum power can reach 12.85[Formula: see text]mW. Take Jiaozhou Bay Bridge as an example. The MPWEH system’s energy harvesting potential is studied, and the annual power generation of all the acquisition devices can reach 55.72[Formula: see text]kWh, which can be enough energy to supply the sensors on the cross-sea bridge.

A real-time, self-powered wireless pressure sensing system with efficient coupling energy harvester, sensing, and communication modules

Self-powered wireless sensing systems (SP-WSSs) based on triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are promising in the era of the Internet of Things. However, due to the complex structure, SP-WSSs have high power consumption and cannot work in real time. Here, through efficient coupling among energy harvesting, sensing, and communication modules, the structure of SP-WSS is simplified and the power consumption is reduced for real-time sensing. Firstly, since the sensing and communication are coupled by an LC circuit composed by a handmade capacitive pressure sensor and an inductance coil, the energy for one sensing-communication cycle is reduced to 9 μJ, and the SP-WSS can send a signal every 27 ms at 1 Hz working frequency of TENG. Then, the sensing LC circuit is directly triggered by the TENG using the triboelectric plasma as a switch. Since the ultra-fast switching characteristics of triboelectric plasma (13.2 ns), the communication frequency can reach 72.55 MHz for real-time pressure sensing. And the equivalent impedance of TENG is reduced by triboelectric plasma to achieve impedance matching with the LC circuit, which leads to the energy conversion efficiency of 56% and enables signal transmission distance up to 40 m with a peak-to-peak voltage (Vp-p) of 3 V. These results are new records for SP-WSSs. Finally, a photodetector is incorporated into the circuit, demonstrating the system's capability for collaborative sensing of light intensity and pressure. This work presents a feasible scheme of real-time SP-WSSs, which will greatly promote the practical application of SP-WSSs.

Decoding Niobium Carbide MXene Dual-Functional Photoactive Cathode in Photoenhanced Hybrid Zinc-Ion Capacitor.

The coupling of energy harvesting and energy storage discrete modules in a single architecture as a "two-in-one" concept is significant in off-grid energy storage devices. This approach can decrease the device size and the loss of energy transmission in common integrated energy harvesting and storage systems. This work systematically investigates the photoactive characteristics of niobium carbide MXene, Nb2CTx, in a photoenhanced hybrid zinc-ion capacitor (P-ZIC). The unique configuration of the Nb2CTx photoactive cathode absorbs light to charge the capacitor and enables it to operate continuously in the light-powered mode. The Nb2CTx-based P-ZIC shows a photodriven capacitance enhancement of over 60% at the scan rate of 10 mV s-1 under 50 mW cm-2 illumination with 435 nm wavelength. Furthermore, a photoenhanced specific capacitance of ∼27 F g-1, an impressive photocharging voltage response of 1.0 V, and capacitance retention of ∼85% (over 3000 cycles) are obtained.

Performance analysis of a novel façade-based building integrated photovoltaic-thermal system with phase change material for domestic hot water

Since the current contribution of solar thermal energy to the amount of energy consumed for domestic hot water in buildings worldwide is very low (8.4 %, approximately), the potential of this renewable energy to meet the demand for domestic hot water is quite significant. In this context, this paper presents a new façade-based building integrated photovoltaic-thermal system with phase change material which has been patented recently. It is a modular device for installation on façades and roofs, enabling the production of domestic hot water and electricity using solar energy. The main novelty of the system lies in the use of a photovoltaic glass sheet, which improves the building’s aesthetics and facilitates the architectural integration of this type of devices. Thus, a photovoltaic glass is used for the production of electricity, a phase change material for heat storage and a water-phase change material exchanger for the production of domestic hot water. The design and verification stages of the system were developed for a case study under typical usage conditions. Two dimensional numerical models of five different configurations (of the energy harvesting and storage module and two dimensional and three dimensional numerical models of the finned exchanger were carried out to simulate the charge and discharge processes. The most suitable configuration of the system, characterised by a 12 mm vacuum gap and a low emissivity of the absorber, was able to meet the requirements in terms of water flow rate and supply temperature (45 °C) for a shower time of 5 min.

A broadband hybrid energy harvester with displacement amplification decoupling structure for ultra-low vibration energy harvesting

Abnormal vibration of electrical equipment requires a large number of distributed sensors to monitor. However, there are issues that require maintenance and power supply. This work proposes a working mode for harvesting the low-grade vibration energy of electrical equipment, which can replace vibration sensors and achieve self-powered monitoring of equipment vibration. Additionally, we present a novel energy harvesting module that solves the issue of converting random vibration into linear vibration. The introduction of laminated hinges achieves large displacement output under small amplitude vibration and energy harvesting from random low amplitude vibration within a bandwidth of 2–23 Hz. The impact of geometric parameters on the proposed system is evaluated through parameter analysis. Experimental findings reveal that the device can achieve a maximum power output of 17.84 mW at an ultra-low 0.05 g acceleration., resulting in a peak power density of approximately 44.87 W/m3. Compared to traditional methods, peak power has increased by 266.2 %. Wireless vibration online monitoring systems for visualizing vibration status are created by combining the equipment with repeaters and phones. This research introduces a unique strategy for remote online vibration monitoring that may be used in distributed sensor systems to identify malfunctioning machinery.

Hybrid nanogenerator for harvesting electric-field and vibration energy simultaneously via Maxwell’s displacement current

Hybrid energy harvesters (HEHs) have shown immense potential in powering distributed sensors. Conventional HEHs are assemblies of different energy harvesting modules, leading to complicated structures and intricate hybrid power management. This study presents a unique hybrid energy harvesting paradigm based on Maxwell’s displacement current for simultaneously harvesting electric-field and vibration energy. A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is utilized to capture vibration energy via polarization of media (∂P⁄∂t), while the parasitic capacitance between TENG’s metal electrodes and AC electrical equipment generates electricity from time-varying electric field (ε0∂E⁄∂t). The continuous output of electric-field energy harvesting at high frequency (660 V, 105.7 mW/m2 × 50 Hz) and the pulse output of vibration energy harvesting at low-frequency (1.38 kV, 2.23 W/m2 × 1 Hz) exhibit comparable average charging power and complementary characteristics, contributing to a remarkable hybrid output performance. Furthermore, the similar energy conversion process and electrical properties of electric-field and vibration energy harvesting enable a universal hybrid power management system with simplified procedures and boosted efficiency (773 %). This work offers a cost-effective, efficient, and widely applicable approach for hybrid energy harvesting and paves the avenue for its practical applications.

Collecting the energy generated by manual workers to monitor their working status and improve their working conditions by using a flexible rack mechanism

Currently, an increasing quantity of portable energy harvesting modules are being developed to capture the energy generated by human motion. However, the size and weight of a device can affect the smoothness and comfort of a user’s normal limb movements in the process of collecting energy generated by human movement. Especially on manual workers, this effect will significantly increase their physical exertion, so the design of energy-harvesting devices for wearing on manual workers has higher requirements. The bend knee energy harvester (BKEH) designed in the work presented in this paper used a laboratory-made flexible rack to harvest the energy generated by manual workers’ frequently bent knees during work. It converts the collected energy into electricity for various wearable devices to monitor the working status of manual workers and improve their working conditions. One end of the flexible rack is fixed to the upper thigh. When the user bends the knee, the flexible rack will move downward, causing the gear to rotate, thereby collecting the energy generated by the body’s movement. The BKEH was made of many lightweight materials and weighed only 406 g, greatly reducing the impact on the user’s normal limb movements and physical exertion. Practical experiments showed that the BKEH output open-circuit voltage is up to 80.3 V, the output power reached as high as 3.16 W, and the power density reached as high as 7.9 W kg−1, which can effectively supply sufficient electrical power for wearable devices to work normally. The BKEH has a high practical value and good adaptability to human movement posture and can generate enough voltage and power to allow some wearable devices to work properly. These wearable devices can effectively provide users with the ability to monitor their work status and improve working conditions.

A dual-function system integrating kinetic energy harvesting and passenger sensing for urban subway

In order to achieve intelligent operation of subway transportation, this paper proposed a dual-function system integrating human kinetic energy harvesting and passenger sensing for self-powered subway pedestrian flow diversion. The proposed dual-function system mainly includes the energy harvesting module, the data acquisition and processing module, and the information transmission module. The most important module is the energy harvesting subsystem, which is a pacemaker for the dual-function system to work successfully. Therefore, this paper focuses on the structure, dynamics, electricity, and parameter analysis of the energy harvesting module. First, mechanical motion rectifier-based vibration energy harvester (MMR-based VEH) is designed to scavenging the stepping energy of passengers. Secondly, the parameter analysis of the proposed MMR-based VEH is carried out. Finally, the prototype of the dual-function system is fabricated to test the energy output and passenger sensing performance. The results showed that the dual-function system can output a voltage of up to 18.5V and a power of approximately 1.8W. Simultaneously, the proposed dual-function system can accurately sense the human step and calculate the number of passenger.

Hybrid harvesting of wind and wave energy based on triboelectric-piezoelectric nanogenerators

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an emerging energy harvesting technology that can effectively convert various forms of environmental mechanical energy, including oceanic wind, wave energy, seawater temperature difference energy and others. However, the ocean environment is unstable and lacks a long-term steady state of energy. This leads to low energy harvesting efficiency for existing devices based on triboelectric nanogenerators. To solve this challenge, a hybrid harvesting device based on triboelectric-piezoelectric nanogenerators has been proposed to harvest both wind and wave energy. The device comprises three energy harvesting modules: wind energy harvesting triboelectric nanogenerator (WD-TENG), wind energy harvesting pizeoelectric nanogenerator (WD-PENG) and wave energy harvesting triboelectric nanogenerator (WE-TENG), all of which can work together or independently. This provides a significant improvement in the technical reliability of micro-nano energy harvesting technology in the ocean and other unstable environments. In a simulated environment, each module generates 3.975 mW, 1.160 mW and 0.2925 mW of electricity and the corresponding power density is 5.064 W/m3, 1.478 W/m3 and 1.092 W/m3. With the help of an energy collection circuit, the device powers LEDs, temperature and humidity sensors. This innovative solution offers new possibilities for self-sustaining ocean sensors and electronics, and may be widely applied in the next generation of the Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT).

Design and Development of RF Energy Harvesting Module for Low Power Device using Propulsion Concepts in Renewable Energy

Energy harvesting is the need of the hour to operate small, portable and low power electronic devices for self-reliance. We focus our research on radio frequency energy harvesting. We have designed micro strip patch antenna to operate at 2.4GHz. We have analysed the capture of ambient radio frequency energy at various physical locations. We have successfully demonstrated the RF energy harvesting technique proposed for operating devices like LED, scientific calculator and battery charging. In this paper we have verified the RF energy harvesting technique through Hardware implementation.

Simultaneous power generation and heat recovery within a novel thermosyphon heat pipe: An experimental study and correlation development

The unique concept of generating electricity from a thermosyphon heat pipe (THP) utilizing an oscillating magnet in the adiabatic section was successfully examined experimentally. Generating electrical power while the THP operates is a revolutionary approach to improving its performance. In this regard, an energy harvesting module, including a magnet, was designed, built, and installed into the adiabatic section of the THP. The investigation was performed for four filling ratios ranging from 10 to 40%, while water served as the working fluid. In addition, the effect of variation of heat input on the performance of both THP and oscillating magnet thermosyphon heat pipe (OM-THP) was studied. Results demonstrated a negligible difference between the thermal resistances of OM-THP and THP before dry-out. The presence of the oscillating magnet causes dry-out to occur sooner; however, OM-THP still has electrical power generation during stable operation in the range of 50–125 W of heat inputs. According to the results, raising the filling ratio delays the drying of OM-THP. At 20% filling ratio and 100 W heat input, the highest average peak-to-peak open circuit voltage was 1 V. Besides, new correlations are presented to predict the induced voltage and thermal performance of the THP and OM-THP. The proposed correlations can predict the thermal resistances of THP and OM-THP, and the induced voltage of OM-THP with RSQ values of 0.91, 0.79, and 0.94, respectively.

Identification of overloads on splined shafts by means of eddy current testing technology

For the development of resource-efficient machines, the availability of high-quality information about the actual loads that occur is a key prerequisite. By continuously monitoring the loads on the component, critical events can be detected, and thus component failure prevented. Future product generations can also be designed in a resource-saving way depending on the loads that actually occur. The information is most useful when it is obtained directly from the highly loaded areas of the component. In this study, a concept is presented that enables in-situ detection of mechanical overloads on splined shafts by eddy current techniques. Splined shaft connections are among the most heavily stressed machine elements in the drive train and are usually located centrally in the powertrain. To monitor mechanical overloads, a material-integrated sensor will be developed. The structural change that takes place in the sensor as a result of overloads can be monitored with the help of eddy current testing technology. To ensure permanent monitoring of the sensor area, a compact eddy current testing system has to be integrated into the component. This consists of a printed circuit board coil, an evaluation unit, a data transmission module and an energy-harvesting module. The measurement principle for the stainless steels employed is based on the microstructural transformation from metastable austenite to martensite when the material is stressed beyond a threshold value. The threshold at which the structural transformation occurs can individually be adjusted in the sensor area by a local laser heat treatment.

Fabrication and optimization of passive flexible ammonia sensor for aquatic supply chain monitoring based on adaptive parameter adjustment artificial neural network (APA-ANN)

Traditional rigid sensors and imperfect calibration methods are difficult to meet the demand of food quality and safety monitoring in aquatic products supply chain, which requires redesign and optimization. This paper designed and optimized a passive flexible ammonia sensor based on adaptive parameter adjustment artificial neural network (APA-ANN) for aquatic monitoring. The proposed sensor could acquire ammonia information and transmit to the wireless reader by radio frequency identification (RFID) with 13.56 MHz. Through the energy harvesting module, which has a harvesting efficiency of about 63.07%, the passive flexible ammonia sensor could harvest RF energy and supply continuous power for the normal operation of sensor without battery. Oysters and abalone were selected for the sensor output calibration and verification in waterless and watery environments, respectively. The sensor output had a good fitting effect in the sensing range (R2 > 0.99932) and the APA-ANN could improve and optimize the sensor output accuracy under the multiple interference and the impact of cross-sensitivity. The final result showed that all regression coefficients were>0.997 and the accuracy of the optimization model was higher than 89.5%, which proved the applicability of the passive flexible ammonia sensor and provided a optimization method for sustainable monitoring in agriculture.

Numerical modeling of fluid–structure–piezoelectric interaction for energy harvesting

In the present work, we propose a numerical coupling scheme combining the corotational Finite Element Method (FEM) for solid beams, the regularized Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) for fluid flows and a PiezoElectric Model (PEM) for energy harvesting module. The proposed coupling method can be employed to numerically solve Fluid–Structure–PiezoElectric Interaction (FSPEI) multiphysics problems which are the fundamental phenomena in the considered energy harvesting applications. In the proposed coupling method, the FEM and LBM are strongly coupled through the implicit Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) ensuring exactly the no-slip condition. Comparing with volumetric FEMs, the adopted corotational beam formulation can not only allow for large structural displacements, but also help improve the computational efficiency, as the solid structures for energy harvesting devices are usually slender under large motion. The piezoelectric effects are incorporated into the corotational beam dynamics with the help of the virtual work principle. The FEM, LBM and PEM are coupled together in a strong way in the sense that the time integrations are carried out without staggered communications. The proposed coupling scheme is assessed by a series of validation test-cases with increasing complexity, in which a good agreement is obtained with references.

An electromagnetic energy harvester with a half-wave rectification mechanism for military personnel

Military personnel need electronic devices and usually carry heavier batteries to meet the power consumption of electronics, which will hinder military operations. This paper proposes an electromagnetic energy harvester for converting human motion energy into electricity for military personnel. The proposed system consists of a human motion energy harvesting module and an energy storage module. The electromagnetic energy harvester using a Halbach magnet array with a half-wave rectification mechanism is proposed to harvest human motion energy for generating electricity. The half-wave rectification mechanism keeps the magnets and coils on a one-way rotation, allowing them to continue their relative motion for some time after the excitation has disappeared, thus improving the output power. Experimental results showed that the power density of the proposed electromagnetic energy harvester with a half-wave rectification mechanism could reach 190% of the power density of the electromagnetic energy harvester without a rectification mechanism at an excitation frequency of 3 Hz and an amplitude of 90°. From the experimental results, the maximum output power of the electromagnetic energy harvester with a half-wave rectification mechanism reached 39.02 mW. Experiments and application prospects confirmed the feasibility of the proposed electromagnetic energy harvester for military personnel.