Design and implemantation of a piezoelectric energy harvesting system using a super capacitor

Abstract

A method of harvesting vibrational energy with a piezoelectric element using a step-down DC-DC converter suggested by previous references is investigated for application based circuits. Based on the experimental data the current found from the piezoelectric material was very low so a super capacitor was introduced to increase the output current and also to store the harvested piezoelectric energy. Results based on vibrations picked up from the blades of a small DC fan show that vibrational energy can be harvested and the design of the prototype was successful.