Energy Harvester Eliminates Batteries from Wireless Sensors and Produces Power From Local Environment

The advancements in low-power technology make it easier to create wireless sensors networks for a variety of applications. These include remote sensing, HVAC monitoring, asset tracker, and industrial automation. Even wireless sensors need batteries, which must be replaced regularly. This is a cumbersome and expensive maintenance project. The best wireless power solution is to harness the ambient mechanical, thermal, or electromagnetic energy of the sensor’s environment.

Energy harvesting is a complex process that requires the careful management of power to capture ambient power in microwatts and store it into a usable energy reservoir. Mechanical vibration energy is a common source of ambient energy. It can be generated by motors in factories, airflow over a fan or by moving vehicles. The piezoelectric energy transducer is used to convert vibration energy to electrical energy. This can then be used for circuitry.

Source:
https://www.analog.com/en/technical-articles/energy-harvester-produces-power-from-local-environment.html