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16 pages, 6939 KiB

Open AccessArticle

IoT-Enabled High Efficiency Smart Solar Charge Controller with Maximum Power Point Tracking—Design, Hardware Implementation and Performance Testing

by Md. Rokonuzzaman, Mohammad Shakeri, Fazrena Azlee Hamid, Mahmuda Khatun Mishu, Jagadeesh Pasupuleti, Kazi Sajedur Rahman, Sieh Kiong Tiong and Nowshad Amin

Electronics 2020, 9(8), 1267; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9081267 - 7 Aug 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 13013

Abstract

Amid growing demand for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy, the output from PV panels/cells fails to deliver maximum power to the load, due to the intermittency of ambient conditions. Therefore, utilizing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) becomes essential for PV systems. In this paper, [...] Read more.

Amid growing demand for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy, the output from PV panels/cells fails to deliver maximum power to the load, due to the intermittency of ambient conditions. Therefore, utilizing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) becomes essential for PV systems. In this paper, a novel internet of things (IoT)-equipped MPPT solar charge controller (SCC) is designed and implemented. The proposed circuit system utilizes IoT-based sensors to send vital data to the cloud for remote monitoring and controlling purposes. The IoT platform helps the system to be monitored remotely. The PIC16F877A is used as a main controller of the proposed MPPT-SCC besides implementing the perturb and observe (P&O) technique and a customized buck–boost converter. To validate the proposed system, both simulation and hardware implementation are carried out by the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment and laboratory set up, respectively. The proposed MPPT-SCC can handle the maximum current of 10 A at 12 V voltage. Results show that the efficiency of the proposed system reaches up to 99.74% during a month of performance testing duration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesting and Storage Applications)

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13 pages, 3932 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Harvesting Backpacks for Human Load Carriage: Modelling and Performance Evaluation

by Ledeng Huang, Ruishi Wang, Zhenhua Yang and Longhan Xie

Electronics 2020, 9(7), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9071061 - 28 Jun 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4237

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for portable power sources as people are required to carry more equipment for occupational, military, or recreational purposes. The energy harvesting backpack that moves relative to the human body, could capture kinetic energy from [...] Read more.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for portable power sources as people are required to carry more equipment for occupational, military, or recreational purposes. The energy harvesting backpack that moves relative to the human body, could capture kinetic energy from human walking and convert vertical oscillation into the rotational motion of the generators to generate electricity. In our previous work, a light-weight tube-like energy harvester (TL harvester) and a traditional frequency-tuneable backpack-based energy harvester (FT harvester) were proposed. In this paper, we discuss the power generation performance of the two types of energy harvesters and the energy performance of human loaded walking, while carrying energy harvesting backpacks, based on two different spring-mass-damper models. Testing revealed that the electrical power in the experiments showed similar trends to the simulation results, but the calculated electrical power and the net metabolic power were higher than that of the experiments. Moreover, the total cost of harvesting (TCOH), defined as additional metabolic power in watt required to generate 1 W of electrical power, could be negative, which indicated that there is a chance to generate 6.11 W of electricity without increasing the metabolic cost while carrying energy harvesting backpacks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesting and Storage Applications)

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20 pages, 1758 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Transient Modeling of the Thermoelectric Generators for Application in Wireless Sensor Network Nodes

by Miloš Marjanović, Aneta Prijić, Branislav Randjelović and Zoran Prijić

Electronics 2020, 9(6), 1015; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9061015 - 18 Jun 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3594

Abstract

This paper reports results of the transient modeling of thermoelectric cooling/heating modules as power generators with the aim to select preferable ones for use in thermal energy harvesting wireless sensor network nodes. A study is conducted using the selected commercial thermoelectric generators within [...] Read more.

This paper reports results of the transient modeling of thermoelectric cooling/heating modules as power generators with the aim to select preferable ones for use in thermal energy harvesting wireless sensor network nodes. A study is conducted using the selected commercial thermoelectric generators within the node of a compact design with aluminum PCBs. Their equivalent electro-thermal models suitable for SPICE-like simulators are presented. Model components are extracted from the geometrical, physical and thermo-electrical parameters and/or experimentally. SPICE simulation results mismatch within 7% in comparison with the experimental measurements. The presented model is used for the characterization of different thermoelectric generators within the wireless sensor network node from the aspects of harvesting efficiency, cold boot time, node dimensions and compactness, and maximum applicable temperature. The choice of the preferred generator is determined by its electrical resistance, the number of thermoelectric pairs, external area and thermoelectric legs length, depending on the primary design goal and imposed thermal operating conditions. The node can provide load power of 1.3

m W

and the cold boot time of 66 s for generator with 31 thermoelectric pairs at a temperature difference of 15

° C

with respect to the ambient, and 7.6

m W

of load power and the cold boot time of 40 s for generator with 71 thermoelectric pairs at a temperature difference of 25

° C

. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesting and Storage Applications)

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12 pages, 6486 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Thermoelectric Performance Enhancement of Naturally Occurring Bi and Chitosan Composite Films Using Energy Efficient Method

by Eunhwa Jang, Priyanshu Banerjee, Jiyuan Huang, Rudolph Holley, John T. Gaskins, Md Shafkat Bin Hoque, Patrick E. Hopkins and Deepa Madan

Electronics 2020, 9(3), 532; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9030532 - 23 Mar 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3269

Abstract

This work presents an energy efficient technique for fabricating flexible thermoelectric generators while using printable ink. We have fabricated thermoelectric composite thick films using two different mesh sizes of n-type bismuth particles, various binder to thermoelectric material weight ratios, and two different pressures, [...] Read more.

This work presents an energy efficient technique for fabricating flexible thermoelectric generators while using printable ink. We have fabricated thermoelectric composite thick films using two different mesh sizes of n-type bismuth particles, various binder to thermoelectric material weight ratios, and two different pressures, 200 MPa and 300 MPa, in order to optimize the thermoelectric properties of the composite films. The use of chitosan dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide with less than 0.2 wt. % of chitosan, the first time chitosan has been used in this process, was sufficient for fabricating TE inks and composite films. Low temperature curing processes, along with uniaxial pressure, were used to evaporate the solvent from the drop-casted inks. This combination reduced the temperature needed compared to traditional curing processes while simultaneously increasing the packing density of the film by removing the pores and voids in the chitosan-bismuth composite film. Microstructural analysis of the composite films reveals low amounts of voids and pores when pressed at sufficiently high pressures. The highest performing composite film was obtained with the weight ratio of 1:2000 binder to bismuth, 100-mesh particle size, and 300 MPa of pressure. The best performing bismuth chitosan composite film that was pressed at 300 MPa had a power factor of 4009 ± 391 μW/m K² with high electrical conductivity of 7337 ± 522 S/cm. The measured thermal conductivity of this same sample was 4.4 ± 0.8 W/m K and the corresponding figure of merit was 0.27 at room temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesting and Storage Applications)

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16 pages, 7157 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Study on the Analytic Power Estimation of the Electromagnetic Resonant Energy Harvester for the High-Speed Train

by Jaehoon Kim

Electronics 2020, 9(3), 403; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9030403 - 28 Feb 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2649

Abstract

This study is intended to identify the applicability of energy harvesting technologies that are regarded as new electrical power sources for the sensors on high-speed trains. The analytic estimation research is conducted on the amount of electric energy harvested from the high-speed trains, [...] Read more.

This study is intended to identify the applicability of energy harvesting technologies that are regarded as new electrical power sources for the sensors on high-speed trains. The analytic estimation research is conducted on the amount of electric energy harvested from the high-speed trains, operating at a maximum speed of over 400km/h to verify the applicability of the energy harvesting technology converting the vibration energy of axle and bogie into electric power. Based on the data of the vibration acceleration on the axles and bogies, which were measured by using a 500 Hz analog filter, an analytic estimation on the amount of power harvested by an electromagnetic resonant harvester is conducted through the analysis of the main frequency. The power of the electromagnetic resonant harvester is based on a theoretical model of the mass-spring-damper system, and the harvested power from the axles and bogies in the vertical direction is analytically estimated in this study. The analytic calculations typically give the target value for the final performance of the electromagnetic resonant energy harvester. The targets of the analytic estimations are given to provide the basis for the detailed design and to give a basis for defining the basic design parameters of the electromagnetic resonant energy harvester. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesting and Storage Applications)

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10 pages, 4202 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Structural Performance and Integrity for Vibration-based Energy Harvester in Frequency Domain

by Ji-Won Jin and Ki-Weon Kang

Electronics 2020, 9(2), 357; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9020357 - 20 Feb 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2941

Abstract

A vibration-based energy harvester (VEH) utilizes vibrations originated from various structures and specifically maximizes the displacement of its moving parts, using the resonance between the frequency of external vibration loads from the structure and the natural frequency of VEH to improve power production [...] Read more.

A vibration-based energy harvester (VEH) utilizes vibrations originated from various structures and specifically maximizes the displacement of its moving parts, using the resonance between the frequency of external vibration loads from the structure and the natural frequency of VEH to improve power production efficiency. This study presents the procedure to evaluate the structural performance and structural integrity of VEH utilized in a railway vehicle under frequency domain. First of all, a structural performance test was performed to identify the natural frequency and assess the structural response in frequency domain. Then, the static structural analysis was carried out using FE analysis to investigate the failure critical locations (FCLs) and effect of resonance. Finally, we conducted a frequency response analysis to identify the structural response and investigate the structural integrity in frequency domain. Based on these results, the authors assessed the structural performance and integrity of VEHs in two versions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesting and Storage Applications)

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11 pages, 4471 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Self-Powered Operational Amplifying System with a Bipolar Voltage Generator Using a Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

by Se Yeong Jeong, Jae Yong Cho, Seong Do Hong, Wonseop Hwang, Hamid Jabbar, Jung Hwan Ahn, Jeong Pil Jhun and Tae Hyun Sung

Electronics 2020, 9(1), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9010041 - 27 Dec 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4025

Abstract

Piezoelectric devices previously studied usually generated a single voltage to power an electronic device. However, depending on the user’s purpose, the electronic device may need dual power supply. Here, we report a self-powered bipolar voltage generator using a piezoelectric energy harvester with two [...] Read more.

Piezoelectric devices previously studied usually generated a single voltage to power an electronic device. However, depending on the user’s purpose, the electronic device may need dual power supply. Here, we report a self-powered bipolar voltage generator using a piezoelectric energy harvester with two piezoelectric devices. When a force is applied to the piezoelectric energy harvester, the two piezoelectric devices separately supply positive and negative voltages to the operational amplifier that requires dual power supply to amplify an AC signal that have positive and negative polarity. At the same time, the harvester supplies additional power to an electronic device through a DC-to-DC converter with an output voltage of 3.3 V. This technique proves the feasibility of applying the piezoelectric energy harvester to operational amplifying systems in the field of sound, earthquake, and sonar that require both bipolar and single voltages without external power sources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesting and Storage Applications)

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14 pages, 4399 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Power Supply Switch Circuit for Intermittent Energy Harvesting

by Hyun Jun Jung, Saman Nezami and Soobum Lee

Electronics 2019, 8(12), 1446; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8121446 - 1 Dec 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5442

Abstract

Energy harvesters generate power only when ambient energy is available, and power loss is significant when the harvester does not produce energy and its power management circuit is still turned on. This paper proposes a new high-efficiency power management circuit for intermittent vibration [...] Read more.

Energy harvesters generate power only when ambient energy is available, and power loss is significant when the harvester does not produce energy and its power management circuit is still turned on. This paper proposes a new high-efficiency power management circuit for intermittent vibration energy harvesting. The proposed circuit is unique in terms of autonomous power supply switch between harvester and storage device (battery), as well as self-start and control of the operation mode (between active and sleep modes). The self-start controller saves power during an inactive period and the impedance matching concept enables maximum power transfer to the storage device. The proposed circuit is prototyped and tested with an intermittent vibration energy harvester. Test results found that the daily energy consumption of the proposed circuit is smaller than that of the resistive matching circuit: 0.75 J less in sleep mode and 0.04 J less in active mode with self-start. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesting and Storage Applications)

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Review

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22 pages, 3925 KiB

Open AccessReview

Prospective Efficient Ambient Energy Harvesting Sources for IoT-Equipped Sensor Applications

by Mahmuda Khatun Mishu, Md. Rokonuzzaman, Jagadeesh Pasupuleti, Mohammad Shakeri, Kazi Sajedur Rahman, Fazrena Azlee Hamid, Sieh Kiong Tiong and Nowshad Amin

Electronics 2020, 9(9), 1345; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9091345 - 20 Aug 2020

Cited by 63 | Viewed by 8394

Abstract

In the past few years, the internet of things (IoT) has garnered a lot of attention owing to its significant deployment for fulfilling the global demand. It has been seen that power-efficient devices such as sensors and IoT play a significant role in [...] Read more.

In the past few years, the internet of things (IoT) has garnered a lot of attention owing to its significant deployment for fulfilling the global demand. It has been seen that power-efficient devices such as sensors and IoT play a significant role in our regular lives. However, the popularity of IoT sensors and low-power electronic devices is limited due to the lower lifetime of various energy resources which are needed for powering the sensors over time. For overcoming this issue, it is important to design and develop better, high-performing, and effective energy harvesting systems. In this article, different types of ambient energy harvesting systems which can power IoT-enabled sensors, as well as wireless sensor networks (WSNs), are reviewed. Various energy harvesting models which can increase the sustainability of the energy supply required for IoT devices are also discussed. Furthermore, the challenges which need to be overcome to make IoT-enabled sensors more durable, reliable, energy-efficient, and economical are identified. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesting and Storage Applications)

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