Energy Harvesting Methods for Internet of Things

Internet of Things (IoT) has becoming a central theme in current technology trend whereby objects, people or even animals and plants can exchange information over the Internet. IoT can be referred as a network of interconnected devices such as wearables, sensors and implantables, that has the ability to sense, interact and make collective decisions autonomously. In short, IoT enables a full spectrum of machine-to-machine communications equipped with distributed data collection capabilities and connected through the cloud to facilitate centralized data analysis. Despite its great potential, the reliability of IoT devices is impeded with limited energy supply if these devices were to deploy particularly in energy-scarced locations or where no human intervention is possible. The best possible deployment of IoT technology is directed to cater for unattended situations like structural or environmental health monitoring. This opens up a new research area in IoT energy efficiency domain. A possible alternative to address such energy constraint is to look into re-generating power of IoT devices or more precisely known as energy harvesting or energy scavenging. This chapter presents the review of various energy harvesting mechanisms, current application of energy harvesting in IoT domain and its future design challenges.

Exploring Current Trends of Energy Harvesting

There are numerous forms of energy that can gratify the needs of computing, these energies include solar, thermal, mechanical, wind, acoustic, and wave for different devices and applications. With ubiquitous computing requirements for self-powered devices such as MEMS (Micro-electromechanical systems) and these devices have narrow capacity of finite power sources and it is needed that these systems are needed to be supplied with energy for the lifetime of the system. Mostly Batteries are the main source of energy for many of these mobile systems, embedded systems and remote system applications. There is a requirement for Energy harvesting which is a method of extracting energy from the nearby environment called Environmental energy which can be used as supernumerary to electrochemical battery. Studies are being conducted to harvest energy from solar, wind, thermal, tidal and other mechanical sources which have limited lifespan. This paper serves as a study to identify various sources of energy available for harvesting centered on various technical papers available and present the work carried out by investigators in identifying them.

Analysis of Energy Loss in Superconducting Waveguides

In this chapter, the characteristics of the propagation of waves in superconducting waveguides are investigated. To compute the propagation constant, the complex conductivity of the superconductor is incorporated into the set of characteristic equations which describes the propagation constant of waves in the waveguide. An important outcome from this analysis is that superconducting waveguides are shown to behave like a lossless waveguide, exhibiting literally lossless behaviour at frequencies above the cutoff and below the gap frequency. Above the gap frequency, however, the waveguide loses its superconductivity, giving attenuation which increases in correspond to frequencies. The result suggests strongly that superconducting waveguides can be applied in receiver systems to minimize the loss of propagating signals.

Applications of Vibration-Based Energy Harvesting (VEH) Devices

This chapter reviews present usage of vibration-based energy harvesting (VEH) devices and applications. The evolution of energy resources and advance in electronic technologies has resulting the need of self-sustainable wireless/portable electronic devices in current modern society. Batteries are non-beneficial in the miniaturization process of electronic designing and alternative power supplies are desperately needed to fill in the falling behind technologies gap to drive the advance of the wireless/portable development further. VEH mechanism is suggested in this chapter as the solution for the bottleneck. Various consideration of creating an optimal vibration energy harvester are suggested through an analytical model of a mechanical transducer. Useful applications and usages of VEH are presented and some suggestion for improvement are also given. Lastly, the trend of energy harvesting is annotated and commented in-line with the demand of electronic sensors market.

Harvesting Energy from Microbial Fuel Cells

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC) are the main topic of this chapter. Different types of electrochemical devices are presented and their typical power output is compared with other energy sources, providing a framework for the uses and applications of MFC technology. Following an historical approach of how this technology came to be, a more detailed description of some aspects of a typical microbial fuel cell is then brought forward. The energy harvesting concept, its use on low power wireless systems and maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques are presented and described. Wastewater treatment plants are a kind of infrastructure where this technology could be applied with a major success to power wireless sensing networks. An experimental setup, develop to improve the use of MFC in waste water treatment plants is presented. This chapter also provides a review on research trends for microbial fuel cells and maximum power point tracking algorithms, therefore, pointing current researches on this technology.

Biologically-Inspired Wireless Power Transmission System

This chapter gives an overview on Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems and the existing biologically-inspired architectures which could be used to optimize the efficiency of the systems. In general, wireless power transmission could be categorized into near-field and far-field mechanisms. At present, one of the most immediate issues to be solved is the relatively low efficiency in a WPT system. The system's efficiency decreases gradually as the distance increases. To ensure highest efficiency, the path with the shortest distance and the lowest interference is to be selected. In this case, a few of the most popular biologically-inspired algorithms, i.e. Firefly Algorithm(FA), Simulated Annealing (SA), the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) could be employed for efficiently solving different optimization problems. In short, these algorithms mentioned involve the emulation of fireflies flash signals for mating, exploitation of the metallurgy process, nature of ants leaving pheromones along the trails traveled and also the mimic of gradual evolution of organisms.

Energy Harvesting Models and Techniques

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has gain popularity due to their wide range of applications in almost all walks of life including industry controls, environmental monitoring, health, transportation, military, civil infrastructure, science, security and more. Wireless sensor nodes are cheap and tiny in size therefore its deployment is easier. They perform well in harsh environments where human intervention is almost difficult or not possible. However, wireless sensor networks are resource constraints and its power supply has been a big challenge to keep the sensor nodes functional for a longer period. Advancement in low power electronics helped a lot but the use and maintenance of conventional batteries with a limited life span cannot address the power supply problem effectively in a long run. Therefore, harvesting energy from ambient environment is an effective alternative both in terms of power and cost, which can help sensor networks to live longer. This chapter mainly focuses on different possible energy sources available in ambient environment and current technological mechanism to harvest energy for WSNs.

Green Energy in Data Centers

Green energy paradigm has been gaining popularity in the computing system from the software, hardware, infrastructure and application perspectives. Within that concept, data center greening is of utmost importance at the moment since data centers are one of the most energy conserving elements. Data centers are seen as the technology era's black energy-swallowing secret. Reducing energy consumption at data centers can reduce carbon footprint effect tremendously. Not addressing the issue immediately will lead to significant energy usage by data centers and will hinder the growth of data centers. The call for sustainable energy efficient data center leads to venturing into data center green computing. The green computing concept can be achieved by using several methods adopted by researchers including renewable energy, virtualization through cloud computing, proper cooling system, identifying suitable location to harvest energy whilst reducing the need for air-conditioning and employing suitable networking and information technology infrastructure. This paper focuses into several approaches used by researches to reduce energy consumption at data centers while deploying efficient database management system. This paper differs from others in the literature by giving some suitable solutions by looking into a hybrid model for green computing in data centers.

On the Decision Criteria for “Greening” Information Systems

The impacts of climate changes are significantly influencing the approaches of organizations and governments to use resources, develop appropriate environment-friendly strategic frameworks and adopt a holistic approach to understand their operating environment. These impacts can be seen in the search for energy effective solutions, outsourcing processes and engaging into partnerships and alliances. At the same time, governments have been stepping up policy and legislative initiatives, assessment frameworks, and engagement in international conventions to cut carbon emissions and promote sustainability.

Different Resources Consumption of Renewable Energy

Electricity consumption will encompass a large converse about connected with international electricity demand while in the next 2 decades. Newly, this improving rate connected with fossil fuels and also issues about the environmentally friendly consequences connected with gas emissions get renewed the attention in the progress connected with alternative electricity resources. Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Modify Minimization offers a good estimation on the chapter for the technological, scientific, environmentally friendly, financial and also societal aspects of this factor connected with six renewable energy (RE) options for the minimization connected with weather adjust. This functioning chapter on environmentally friendly Energy Solutions and Local climate Change Minimization presents an assessment on the literature for the scientific chemical, technological, environment, economic in addition to social areas of the contribution connected with six environmentally friendly energy (RE) sources on the mitigation connected with climate alter. This chapter is definitely an overview of presentation of the Local climate Change Minimization expansion on the essential results. Considering this significant component of Renewable Energy Sources can be reduce carbon dioxide, there is an international relating to reducing carbon emissions. Due to the fact most of the United Nations wanted to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is carbon dioxide, there is a can be a global concern on minimizing carbon emissions. Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) resulting from the provision of the services of one have contributed significantly to improve the historical concentrations of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere of MIT. The IPCC (AR4) concluded that “most of the observed global climate improving as it is very likely that as a result of the improvement observed in the concentrations of anthropogenic gases mit techniques this mid of 20th century confirms Recent Files the use of fossil power accounts for most of the international anthropogenic GHG emissions”. Emissions always grow, in addition to CO2 concentrations of it had increased to more than 390 ppm, or perhaps 39% above pre-industrial levels, by holding from 2014-5. There are many options for reducing GHG emissions from energy system while satisfying the desire for global energy services. Some of these possible alternatives, such as energy conservation and competition, switching fossil fuel, RE, nuclear, plus carbon capture and hard drive (CCS) was evaluated from the AR4. A full assessment related to any profile minimization options will likely involve an evaluation of respective potential alongside minimization with his bargain with sustainable development as well as all associated risks, and costs. This phase will focus on the role that this display technology related to RE can participate in within the portfolio related to mitigation alternatives. In this sense, the only policies can be given to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, to improve the implementation of green energy, and such encouraging technological innovation. At inclusion, supporting components, such as feed-in tariffs, rules Renewable side view in addition to tax insurance policies are used by governments to help develop green energy generation in addition to the implementation of the efficiency of energy use save energy. In this chapter, the various insurance policies could possibly be placed on reducing carbon emissions, for instance improving green energy deployment and also significant technologies. A pair of main clarifications may be realizing to scale back carbon emissions and also overcome the issue connected with weather adjust: exchange fossil fuel having green electricity options wherever possible and also enhancing energy proficiency. In this chapter, many of us discuss most up-to-date performance connected with technology intended for improving green electricity deployment and also electricity work with proficiency.