Study of Piezoelectric Cantilever Energy Harvesters

Over the last decade there has been a growing increase in research in the field of vibrational energy harvesting devices which convert ambient vibrational energy into electrical energy. The major application area for such devices is as power sources for wireless sensors, thereby replacing currently used batteries which suffer from a finite lifespan and pose environmental issues during disposal. This growing problem has motivated the development of new technologies for harvesting energy from the ambient environment. Piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEH) are under consideration as a means for converting mechanical energy, specifically vibration energy, to electrical energy, with the goal of realizing completely self-powered sensor systems. This paper presents a brief introduction to the piezoelectric cantliver beam energy harvester.