Piezo Energy Harvesting Overview
Research and development of vibration energy harvesters
Harvesting energy from vibration
We specialize in Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting (PEH).
Kinetic energy harvesting (KEH) works by using a variety of different technologies to capture the kinetic energy associated with motion or vibration, and convert it to electrical energy. These technologies may include piezoelectric materials, magnetic induction, or other methods. Once collected, the energy is then stored in a battery or capacitor allowing it to be used at a later time. KEH is a sustainable energy source as it does not rely on finite resources, such as fossil fuels.
Specializing in Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting (PEH), it is important to note that PEHs are most economical when used for low power requirements < 1Ws (1J). This is by many magnitudes less than compared with state-of-the-art solar cells/panels and TEGs and should always be considered for design/application feasibility.
The development of piezoelectric composite material, such as Macro Fiber Composite™ (MFC), has helped overcome some of the limitations of the monolithic piezo ceramic components, particulary brittleness, lack of reliability, and conformability.
Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting (PEH) products
Smart Material has developed a series of evaluation kits, electronic circuits and harvester generator components to support customers who want to learn more about this emerging field, and for rapid prototyping and development of energy harvesting applications based on the Macro Fiber Composite™ (MFC) product line.
Battery-free, autonomous devices
Advances in ultra-low power electronic components have enabled the development of a new category of devices: battery-free, autonomous systems operating solely by harvesting mechanical vibrations with piezoelectric components. Today, complete electronic devices with power consumption of <10mWs (10mJ) can be manufactured cost-effectively.
Completely battery-free devices based on piezo electric harvesters are a reality today. With an attached storage for excess energy, such as a super cap or thin film battery, higher burst consumption, as typically required for RF telemetry, can be accommodated. Energy harvesters based on the Macro Fiber Composite™ (MFC) have a lifetime of more than 10 years (‹10Hz and 600ppm), which is necessary in order to compete with battery-based devices.
However, designing piezoelectric vibration harvesters is not an easy task. It requires knowledge and skill in mechanics as well as piezo ceramics and electronics to design systems that are cost effective and highly efficient. Typical efficiency (e.g. mechanical to electricla energy conversion) of today’s piezo electric harvesters range between 4-10%.
Smart Material is actively involved in the research and development of vibration energy harvesters. We have developed the P2 type MFC line mainly as an optimized version for energy harvesting applications. The MFCs with item numbers M2814P2, M8514P2, M8528P2, M8557P2 and M8585P2 are the preferred components used in many vibration energy harvesting applications.
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