Hybrid solar and radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting

This paper presents the design of hybrid energy harvesting circuit. The hybrid energy harvesting combines solar cell used to convert sun rays into electricity and antenna capable to harvest ambient electromagnetic energy. Direct current (DC) combining circuit is necessary to combine the outputs of the solar cell and the electromagnetic harvesters. MPPT algorithm (P&O Algorithm) is used which is necessary in PV applications because the MPP of a solar panel varies with the irradiation and temperature. The storage device is used to store the energy comes from DC combining circuit. This paper describes a Microstrip feed Patch Antenna, which operates at 2.4 GHz and achieves antenna gain of 7.5 dB. The overall hybrid system is able to generate a maximum power of 9 Watts.