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Updated: Aug 20, 2025

A Polymer-based Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvester with a 3D Meshed-Core Structure
Published on: February 20, 2019
A Tuneable Pressure-Based Energy Harvester for Powering the Environmental Internet of Things
Joshua Curry1, Nick Harris1, Neil White1
1Department of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
Abstract:
As the internet of things expands to more remote locations, solutions are required for long-term remote powering of environmental sensing devices. In this publication, a device is presented which utilises the slow-moving diurnal temperature change present in many natural environments to produce electrical energy. This device utilises a novel actuator which harnesses temperature-dependent phase change to provide a variable force output, and this is combined with energy storage and release apparatus to convert the output force into electrical energy. Appropriate modelling is utilised to identify parameters for system tuning, and a final proof-of-concept solution is constructed and demonstrated to generate up to 10 mJ per 24 h period.
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