Design considerations for piezoelectric energy harvesting systems

Ultra low power microelectronic devices such as wireless sensor nodes can be self powered using piezoelectric energy harvesting systems. Piezoelectric energy harvesting is the technology to convert wasted vibration energy to an electrical energy output. This paper highlights the design considerations for piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) systems such as: material selection, resonant frequency, geometrical shape, loading factor, electrical connections, AC-DC converters, DC-DC converters, and energy storage media. Morphological analysis is developed to investigate the best alternative solution for each design parameter. The evaluation criterion is the maximum power transfer from input vibration energy to the electrical output waveform. The standards for PEH are also presented to enhance the system performance. The published results in the literature are discussed to affirm the concluding remarks in this paper.