Plenary Talk I : Energy Harvesting and Management Techniques for Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

Networking is a field of integration, hardware and software, protocols and standards, simulation and testbeds, wired and wireless, VLSI and communication, energy harvesting and management, an orchestrated harmony that collaborates dependably, all for the good of a connected well-performing network.To tackle the limited energy resources in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), two approaches may be used separately or jointly to maintain or increase network lifetime; specifically, energy harvesting and/or energy management:Energy harvesting refers to harnessing energy from the surrounding nature or other energy sources such as human body and subsequently converting it to electrical energy. The harnessed electrical energy powers the sensor nodes.Energy management schemes take into account several interacting factors that jointly effect the power consumption of a wireless sensor node. Typically, these factors are the specific sensor type, data transmission, radio energy consumption and the sensing subsystem.Based on the WSN architecture and power expenditure, several approaches for energy management have to be embraced, even simultaneously, to reduce power consumption. Generally, three main techniques might be identified; explicitly, duty-cycling, data-driven, and mobility approaches.This talk provides an insight into the highly important topic of increasing or maintaining the lifetime of WSNs through managing the energy reservoir of sensor nodes.