| Both sides previous revisionPrevious revisionNext revision | Previous revision |
| en:iot-open:hardware2:powering:greenenergy [2023/11/21 22:54] – pczekalski | en:iot-open:hardware2:powering:greenenergy [2023/11/23 11:46] (current) – [Energy harvesting from external sources] pczekalski |
|---|
| ====== Green Energy Sources in IoT ====== | ====== Green Energy Sources in IoT ====== |
| | {{:en:iot-open:czapka_p.png?50| General audience classification icon }}{{:en:iot-open:czapka_b.png?50| General audience classification icon }}{{:en:iot-open:czapka_m.png?50| General audience classification icon }}{{:en:iot-open:czapka_e.png?50| General audience classification icon }}\\ |
| Powering IoT devices using energy storage systems (e.g., batteries or capacitors/supercapacity/ultracapacitor) faces some challenges, such as the limited lifetime (the time from when an IoT device is deployed to when all the energy stored in its energy storage system is depleted or consumed), maintenance complexity, and scalability. In an IoT infrastructure with massive numbers of IoT devices (e.g., massive IoT), frequent change of IoT batteries results in maintenance complexities, high cost, and sustainability challenges. One of the solutions to these challenges is using energy harvesters to harvest energy from the ambient environment or external sources (e.g., vibrations or human body sources) to power the IoT devices. Energy harvesting is capturing energy from the ambient environment or external sources, which is then converted into electrical energy that can be used to power IoT devices or stored for later use. | Powering IoT devices using energy storage systems (e.g., batteries or capacitors/supercapacity/ultracapacitor) faces some challenges, such as the limited lifetime (the time from when an IoT device is deployed to when all the energy stored in its energy storage system is depleted or consumed), maintenance complexity, and scalability. In an IoT infrastructure with massive numbers of IoT devices (e.g., massive IoT), frequent change of IoT batteries results in maintenance complexities, high cost, and sustainability challenges. One of the solutions to these challenges is using energy harvesters to harvest energy from the ambient environment or external sources (e.g., vibrations or human body sources) to power the IoT devices. Energy harvesting is capturing energy from the ambient environment or external sources, which is then converted into electrical energy that can be used to power IoT devices or stored for later use. |
| |
| |
| When selecting a renewable energy source, it is essential to consider: | When selecting a renewable energy source, it is essential to consider: |
| * an energy budget: is the renewable energy source able to deliver enough energy for the duty cycle of the IoT device? | * An energy budget - is the renewable energy source able to deliver enough energy for the duty cycle of the IoT device? |
| * is there a need to provide a backup energy source to ensure continuous operation of the IoT device? | * Is there a need to provide a backup energy source to ensure continuous operation of the IoT device? |
| * how do ageing and time (daytime, season) affect the energy received from the green energy source? | * How do ageing and time (daytime, season) affect the energy received from the green energy source? |
| * what is the cost of the green energy source compared to other powering opportunities? | * What is the cost of the green energy source compared to other powering opportunities? |
| * is there an AC needed? | * Is there an AC needed? |
| |
| Answers to those questions drive a selection of the green energy source, which always regards a specific duty cycle and working conditions of the IoT device.\\ | Answers to those questions drive a selection of the green energy source, which always regards a specific duty cycle and working conditions of the IoT device.\\ |
| |
| |
| ==== Energy harvesting from ambient sources ==== | ===== Energy harvesting from ambient sources ===== |
| |
| The energy can be harvested from ambient sources (environmental energy sources) such as solar and photovoltaic, Radio Frequency (RF), flow (wind and hydro energy sources), and thermal energy sources. Ambient energy harvesting is the process of capturing energy from the immediate environment of the device (ambient energy sources) and then converting it into electrical energy to power IoT devices. The ambient energy harvesting systems that can be used to harvest energy to power IoT devices, access points, fog nodes or cloud data centres include: | The energy can be harvested from ambient sources (environmental energy sources) such as solar and photovoltaic, Radio Frequency (RF), flow (wind and hydro energy sources), and thermal energy sources. Ambient energy harvesting is the process of capturing energy from the immediate environment of the device (ambient energy sources) and then converting it into electrical energy to power IoT devices. The ambient energy harvesting systems that can be used to harvest energy to power IoT devices, access points, fog nodes or cloud data centres include: |
| Geothermal energy is considered to be very constant but of low availability. Its application is based on steam and hot water conversion to electrical energy, usually via high and low-pressure turbines. Due to the complex processing involving dealing with high temperatures (e.g. overheated steam of >200C)((https://www.geothermal-energy.org/pdf/IGAstandard/EGC/2013/EGC2013_CUR-16.pdf)), it is suitable for mass-scale energy production for a grid rather than as a small energy source to power a single IoT device. | Geothermal energy is considered to be very constant but of low availability. Its application is based on steam and hot water conversion to electrical energy, usually via high and low-pressure turbines. Due to the complex processing involving dealing with high temperatures (e.g. overheated steam of >200C)((https://www.geothermal-energy.org/pdf/IGAstandard/EGC/2013/EGC2013_CUR-16.pdf)), it is suitable for mass-scale energy production for a grid rather than as a small energy source to power a single IoT device. |
| |
| ==== Energy harvesting from external sources ==== | ===== Energy harvesting from external sources ===== |
| | Below is a short list of energy harvesting characteristics from non-ambient, in general, external sources. |
| |
| **Energy harvesting from mechanical sources** | **Energy harvesting from mechanical sources** |
| |
| *Vibration energy harvesting: harvesting the energy created by vibrations (e.g., due to car movements, operations of machines, etc.) and converting it into valuable electrical energy, which can be used to power IoT devices or stored in the battery for later use. | *Vibration energy harvesting - harvesting the energy created by vibrations (e.g., due to car movements, operations of machines, etc.) and converting it into valuable electrical energy, which can be used to power IoT devices or stored in the battery for later use. |
| *Pressure energy harvesting: Harvesting the energy from pressure sources and converting it into useful electrical energy. | *Pressure energy harvesting - harvesting the energy from pressure sources and converting it into useful electrical energy. |
| *Stress-strain energy harvesting: Harvesting energy from mechanical vibrations by exploiting the property of some materials (e.g., piezoelectric materials) that, when they are subject to mechanical strain, produce an electrical charge that is proportional to the stress applied to it. | *Stress-strain energy harvesting - harvesting energy from mechanical vibrations by exploiting the property of some materials (e.g., piezoelectric materials) that, when subject to mechanical strain, produce an electrical charge proportional to the stress applied to it. |
| |
| **Energy harvesting from human body sources** | **Energy harvesting from human body sources** |
| |
| Human body energy harvesting is harvesting energy from the human body and then converting it to electrical energy. It is used to power wearable IoT devices, especially IoT devices designed for smart health applications. The energy source could be the vibration or deformations created by human activity (mechanical energy). The energy source could be from human temperature differences or gradients (thermal energy) or human physiology (chemical energy). | Human body energy harvesting is harvesting energy from the human body and then converting it to electrical energy. It is used to power wearable IoT devices, especially IoT devices designed for smart health applications. The energy source could be the vibration or deformations created by human activity (mechanical energy). The energy source could be from human temperature differences or gradients (thermal energy) or human physiology (chemical energy). |
| *Human activity energy harvesting: Capturing the biomechanical energy resulting from human activities (walking, cycling, running, and other exercises) and then converting it into useful electrical energy that can be used to power the IoT devices or stored for later use. | *Human activity energy harvesting - capturing the biomechanical energy resulting from human activities (walking, cycling, running, and other exercises) and then converting it into useful electrical energy that can be used to power the IoT devices or stored for later use. |
| *Human physiological energy harvesting: Capturing the biochemical energy resulting from human physiological processes and then converting it into electrical energy that can be used to power IoT devices, especially medical implantable IoT devices. | *Human physiological energy harvesting - capturing the biochemical energy resulting from human physiological processes and then converting it into electrical energy that can be used to power IoT devices, especially medical implantable IoT devices. |
| |
| |
| |
