Environmental Vibration-Based MEMS Piezoelectric Energy Harvester (EVMPEH)

Abstract

The wireless sensor network market is growing quickly yet is limited by existing short lifetime batteries. Providing a green, virtually infinite alternative power source to traditional energy sources will significantly expand applications for WSNs and other technologies, the use of piezoelectric materials to capitalize on the ambient vibrations surrounding a system is one method that has seen a dramatic rise in use for power harvesting. The simplicity associated with the piezoelectric micro-generators makes it very attractive for MEMS applications, in which mechanical vibrations are harvested and converted to electric energy, these micro generators were designed as an alternative to a battery-based solution especially for remote systems. In this paper we reviewed the work carried out by researchers during the last few years. The improvements in experimental results obtained in the vibration based MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters show very good scope for MEMS piezoelectric harvesters in the fields of power MEMS and Green Technology in the near future.