Solar energy harvesting design framework for 3.3 V small and low-powered devices in wireless sensor network

Abstract

The lack of electrical standardization due to different application requirements has given rise to the invention of numerous types of wireless sensor nodes. However, their power efficiency and matching are either reduced, unregulated or micro-managed due to different configurations and limitations. This study attempts to identify a viable solar energy harvesting system framework for small and low-powered 3.3 V portable wireless sensor nodes while discussing essential design considerations for the system. It also views any devices that do not exceed the power usage of 1.0 W as low-powered while having a small frame to conveniently carry it around. In this investigation, solar energy harvesting wireless node prototypes were developed to determine the feasible match-up between the subsystems within the harvesting application. It was found that the prototype ideally functioned at 3.7 V while its extended version can be operated up to 4.1 V to power up the 3.3 V load. The proposed design framework has enabled a balanced and practical usage of energy resources which paves the way for greater number of applications and integrations.