From ambient vibrations to green energy source: MEMS piezoelectric energy harvester for low frequency application

Using piezoelectric materials to harvest the ambient vibrations that surround a system is one method that has seen a dramatic rise in the power-harvesting applications. The simplicity associated with piezoelectric micro-generators makes them very attractive for MEMS applications in which ambient vibrations are harvested and converted into electric energy. These micro generators can become an alternative to the battery-based solutions in the future, especially for remote systems. In this paper, we proposed a model and presented the simulation of a MEMS-based arrayed energy harvester under ambient vibration excitation using the Coventorware approach. This arrayed cantilever-based MEMS energy harvester that operates under ambient excitation of frequency band of 67 to 70 Hz, within a base acceleration of 0.2 to 1.3 g produces an output power of 6.8 μw and 0.4 volts at 20.1 k-ohms load.