A Two-Body Low-Frequency Piezoelectric Wind Energy Harvester for Environmental Sensing

Sadia Bakhtiar*, Amal Z. Hajjaj, Hailing Fu, Stephanos Theodossiades

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

This paper investigates a novel Two-body Piezoelectric Wind Energy Harvester (TbPE-WEH) designed to generate voltage from wind-induced vibrations. The harvester consists of a flat plate (bluff body) attached to the free end of a piezoelectric cantilever beam. A description of the energy harvester and experimental setup is provided, explaining the output voltage generation for a range of wind speeds. The study investigates the system dynamics using experimental modal analysis, which reveals the natural frequencies of the system. The activation of system nonlinearities causes a noticeable shift in the frequency content as the wind speed varies. At high wind speeds, the harvester appears to propel into limit cycle oscillations (LCOs), exhibiting self-sustained motion caused by aerodynamic instabilities. This novel two-degree-of-freedom vibration energy harvester design may harness wind energy over a wide speed range by gaining large oscillations as compared to the vibration energy harvesters operating under aerodynamic instabilities that are presented in the literature. A maximum open circuit voltage of approximately 6–7 V is achieved by this non-optimised energy harvester prototype.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of IEMTRONICS 2024 - International IoT, Electronics and Mechatronics Conference
EditorsPhillip G. Bradford, S. Andrew Gadsden, Shiban K. Koul, Kamakhya Prasad Ghatak
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages291-299
Number of pages9
ISBN (Print)9789819747795
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2025
EventInternational IoT, Electronics and Mechatronics Conference, IEMTRONICS 2024 - London, United Kingdom
Duration: 3 Apr 20245 Apr 2024

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Electrical Engineering
Volume1229
ISSN (Print)1876-1100
ISSN (Electronic)1876-1119

Conference

ConferenceInternational IoT, Electronics and Mechatronics Conference, IEMTRONICS 2024
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityLondon
Period3/04/245/04/24

Keywords

  • Aerodynamic force
  • Nonlinear response
  • Piezoelectric wind energy harvester
  • Self-sustained oscillations

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