There is a rapid growth in wireless sensors together with wearable devices across the world. The demand for extended life-span power sources is also increasing. For that reason, energy harvesting has become an essential element an alternative to various power sources. It also holds great potential when it comes to achieving autonomous powered operations of low-powered electronic devices. Recently, the subject on the applications of piezoelectric energy harvesters attracted the attention of prolific research industries. Because of its strong impact on materials, the piezoelectric effect is currently adopted to convert any form of mechanical energy to electrical energy mainly. As highlighted by Manorshi, the piezoelectric effect is also known for its impactful features including ease of implementation as well as miniaturization.
From the viewpoint of the piezoelectric applications, we are primarily concerned with the abilities of a harvester to generate usable power and energy under variable excitation. Here, we focused our research on various methodologies that led to high power generation coupled with a broad spectrum of operational bandwidth. We discuss various designs, non-linear techniques, and harvesting materials that can impact different industries profoundly. We also evaluate the merits of piezoelectric energy harvesters while giving a systemic performance outlined therein.
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The piezoelectric energy harvesting industry holds great potential in achieving long-lasting self-powered operations based on wireless sensor networks and wearable devices. Over the years, the piezoelectric effect has been used in the conversion of mechanical energy to usable electricity. This is appended to the fact that it has a high energy conversion capability. In the last decade, the piezoelectric energy harvester has been used in the development of four primary applications, namely pacemakers, bridge monitoring, building monitoring, as well as shoemaking.
Through piezoelectric energy harvesting, mechanical energy harvesting has been made possible. This implies that it is easier for mechanical energy to be converted to electrical power. With that said, there are different energy sources for energy harvesters. They are such as the human body, flowing water, animals, and industrial machines. On that note, energy harvesters are also a promising source of energy.
Away from the typical chemical batteries often used in various industries, energy harvesters work like power generators. Therefore, they can endlessly generate power from their surroundings. With energy harvesters, issues appended to batteries, such as a large size span and environmental pollution, are a thing of the past. Coupled with the rapid growth of integrated circuits and high energy storage solutions, the piezoelectric energy harvesting solution is expected to foster the development of self-powered operations not only in the healthcare sector but automotive applications too.
It is important to note that the direct impact of piezoelectric energy harvesting has been felt in multiple industries, as we stated earlier. It is governed by differential equations that stress its effect on the compliance of the electric field. Several energy harvesters work in a lower frequency range of the piezoelectric element. Thus, these elements can be referred to as plate capacitors.
In Closing
In energy harvesting, the piezoelectric impact easily converts the kinetic energy into electric energy. Thus, piezoelectric generators provide a reliable solution for consumers where it converts wasted energy into usable energy. The harvesters are also ideal when it comes to applications that require a supercapacitor.
