Energy harvesting communications: Part 1 [Guest Editorial]

Over the last decade, energy harvesting has emerged as a promising approach to enable self-sufficient and self-sustaining operation for low-cost devices in energy-constrained networks by scavenging energy from the ambient environment to power up devices. In wireless sensor networks, small, wireless, autonomous sensors usually operate at ultra-low power. If these wireless sensors, which spread throughout homes or factories, in buildings or even outdoors to monitor all kinds of environmental conditions, are powered by energy harvesting, there are no batteries to replace and no laborious cost associated with replacing them. As such, wireless sensor networks can be deployed in hard-to-reach areas to provide ubiquitous coverage.